Always Loved, Never Forgotten - Alternate Version
by JemilyPLLGleek78-10
Summary: The Butterfly Effect. When one event prevents you from experiencing another. Alison was due on Flight 175 to L.A. CA. The plane that would take her home to her family. The plane that crashed into the South Tower on what would become known as 9/11. But, what if Alison wasn't on the plane? What if she made a stupid irresponsible mistake that turned out to be the best one of her life?
1. Emily's Morning

**Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters. This includes the characters of Lily and Grace. I do own the character of Jonathan Dilaurentis-Fields and all other children.  
Spoilers:  
Rating:**

 **Notes: I had a reader ask me to do a "what if" version that I mentioned. It had Alison not either not on the plane or in the one of the Towers when they are hit. I have decided to do this one. Btw, we are going off Taytum and Oakley Fisher's real birthday, which means Lily & Grace are 3 months old not 6 months.**

 **Trigger Warning: This is set heavily on and around the events that took place in New York on September 11, of 2001. If remembering that time is a trigger for you, please be cautious while reading this story.**

 **Wow! I was planning to have a lot more than just three chapters written for this, but I was wanting to post this on September 11 and it kind of snuck up on me this year, so here we are. :)**

* * *

 _ **Tuesday, September 11, 2001 (5:00 a.m.)**_

* * *

 ** _*Dilaurentis-Fields Residence. Around 5 a.m.*_**

It's just before 5 a.m. in the Dilaurentis-Fields household and there is only one person awake. Emily has come back from putting the twins down for another couple of hours or so, after giving them both their early morning feedings and walks to the kitchen to get the coffee ready.

She enters the kitchen just as her phone rings. It's Alison's ringtone and she answers it eagerly.

"Hey, baby," Emily greets. Alison is in Boston on a business trip. She was scheduled to be home tomorrow, but finished up early and is flying in today. She will be home in time to surprise Jonathan at school when she picks him up.

" _Hey, Em! How's everything there? The kids giving you a hard time or anything?_ "

"No, nothing like that. Jon was very helpful last night with the twins. He took a shower and laid his clothes out without much fuss and kept the babies entertained while I had a shower and something to eat."

 _"_ _Wow! Maybe we should think about paying him more,"_ Alison and Emily give Jon an allowance each week of $5. It has been enough until recently when Jon asked for a raise because he wants to be able to save money up to a certain amount faster.

As of now, the allowance is the only money he is getting. He does not get paid for chores since he is Emily and Alison's "helper", doing the chores side-by-side to them. He does have to pick his toys up, clean the dinner/breakfast plates from the table, make his bed every morning, lay his clothes out, pick up his dirty ones, as well as keep up with taking a shower, brushing teeth/hair by himself, etc.

For the most part, Jon is a very well-behaved 9-year-old. He does have the normal "boy" attitude but mostly keeps up with his chores, always offers to help Alison and Emily, and is wonderful with his sisters. He absolutely adores them.

"That's what I was thinking. Maybe we could discuss when you get home?"

 _"_ _That sounds good. I was just wanting to call you to say that I am going to be getting on a plane soon. I'll be there around 11 a.m. or so. I'm going to come home, freshen up, and then go to pick him up for lunch?"_

"That sounds good. How about I come with you. I can go in to check him out and then you can surprise him in the car?" Alison agrees to that and, after speaking for a while longer, she says she has to go because her flight is being called.

 **%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

 ** _*6 a.m.*_**

Around 6:15 a.m., Emily heads upstairs to wake Jon. Then, she goes to make him some oatmeal, bacon, and eggs while he gets dressed.

As she is getting everything out of the fridge and cabinet and is putting the eggs in the skillet, she hears Jon scream from upstairs. She quickly turns the stove off and runs upstairs.

She finds Jon in his room. He has his jeans and socks on, and Emily can see his shirt crumpled up on the floor in front of him. Rushing over, Emily checks her son for injuries and, not seeing any, she becomes even more concerned.

"J-bug, what's the matter? Why did you scream?" Jon doesn't say a word. Instead, he points to the TV where his eyes have yet to move from.

It is then that Emily realizes Jon is not watching cartoons like he usually does. He is watching the news. And the coverage sends chills down Emily's body as her mind fully takes in what it is showing.

**The news broadcast channel is showing the World Trade Center. One of the towers has smoke coming from it.

 _It appears there is more and more fire and smoke enveloping the very top of the building and as fire crews are descending on this area it-it does not appear that there's any kind of an effort up there yet. Now, remember – oh, my God…that looks like a second plane…_

The rest drowns out as it dawns on Emily what exactly it is she is seeing.

The Twin Towers have been hit by two planes. She can barely comprehend it.

And, as she turns Jon away from the TV, not wanting him to see anymore, she doesn't realize yet that the plane they just witnessed hitting the South Tower, is Flight 175 out of Boston, Massachusets.

The flight that is bound for Los Angelas, California.

The one Emily is supposed to go to the airport at 11 a.m. to wait on.

The plane that Alison is on right now because she finished her business trip early and is flying home a day before she was scheduled for.

No one knows that Emily's world is about to be turned upside down.

* * *

 **Okay so here is the first chapter. I know its short but I just wanted to show a bit of their morning and then finding out about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center.**

 **The next chapter will have Emily finding out about the South Tower being hit by Flight 175 and then calling everyone and the story will progress from there. I'm thinking this story will have about 5-8 chapters, but I'm not sure. Definitely not more than 10.**

 **Please review! Let me know what you thought.**


	2. Flight 175 to LA, California

**Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters. This includes the characters of Lily and Grace. I do own the character of Jonathan Dilaurentis-Fields and all other children.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: T to be safe.**

 **Notes: You guys! I have absolutely no idea when I am going to get my computer back, so for now I am using a Chromebook (I haaatte it .). I am going to be working on chapter 5 for this. I have 3 and 4 all ready so I think I am going to have at least eight but no more than 10 chapters for this. :)**

 **Trigger Warning: Please, I want everyone to be very cautious while reading this story. It is set heavily on and around the events that took place in New York on September 11, of 2001. If remembering that time is a trigger for you, please do not read or, at the very least,** ** _be cautious while reading_** **.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 ** _*30 minutes later*_**

Emily decides at that moment that she is not going to send Jon to school. She brings him downstairs after checking on the twins again.

Emily sends Jon to the living room, helping to find the remote and turns on some cartoons. She lets him watch SpongeBob because it is his favorite. Normally, Alison and Emily would not want him to watch it, – it's usually reserved for Christmas or his birthday, a special time, – however, after seeing what he did just moments ago, Emily thinks this is the perfect time to let it slide.

After making sure he is ok, she goes to the kitchen to make breakfast. Emily also turns on the little TV on the corner of the kitchen counter, so she can watch the news coverage without frightening Jon any more than he already is.

She is halfway through making the eggs, having already done the toast and bacon, when she gets a call from Aria. She's hysterical and honestly, Emily doesn't blame her.

She tells Emily that Harper, who, like Jon, watches TV in the mornings, saw the news of the Twin Towers being hit.

Understandably, the 12-year-old was frightened beyond being calmed down, as she is older and can understand a little more than Jon about what exactly it was she was watching.

Aria wants to know if Emily thinks she should send Harper to school but agrees with her when Emily tells her she is keeping Jon home.

Aria tells her that she, Ezra, Harper, and their son, Finley, are coming over. They pick Hanna and Caleb up on the way there, and Spencer and Toby show up shortly after the rest arrive.

Soon, Emily has her three best friends in the kitchen with her, helping her to make breakfast for everyone, while the boys, – Caleb, Toby, and Ezra, – are in charge of entertaining the kids.

It is then that Emily has a feeling she should call Ali. She can't exactly explain it, but she just has the feeling that she should get ahold of Ali to check up on her.

Even though she knows that Alison is up in the air right now and will most likely not answer, she tries anyway.

The no answer to her call doesn't bother as her much as it does when she texts Alison and does not get a response.

"Huh, that's weird," Hearing the comment, Hanna comes over to her.

"What's up?"

"Alison is not responding to my messages. She should if she's up in the air, but there's nothing." Emily tilts the phone to show Hanna when the blonde looks at it over her shoulder.

"She may be up in the air and can't text or receive any messages right now," Spencer says but Emily just shakes her head.

"No, she's been up there long enough to be able to turn her phone on and use it." And it is then, almost as if tailored to Emily's needs, that she and the others hear from the TV,

 _"_ _We're coming to you live from New York right now where two planes have hit the World Trade Center. We now have confirmation on what flights hit which tower and *** has that information now…_

 _"_ _Yes, thank you, ***. Authorities have confirmed that it was Flight 11, a Boeing 767 with 92 people aboard, which departed from Boston's Logan International Airport en route to Los Angeles, which hit the North Tower."_

 _"_ _And um…_ _United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767 with 65 people aboard, which departed from Boston, and was also en route to Los Angeles, was the plane to hit the South Tower."_

Emily feels like the breath has been knocked out of her as she hears that. Flight 175 from Boston, Massachusetts is the flight Alison is on. It's one Emily is set to go to the airport and wait on to pick Ali up.

It is the one that flew into the South Tower and now, well, now Emily has no idea if her wife is alive or not.

* * *

 **Super short, I know, but I figured that it was best to leave it here. Next up is a chapter with Alison. It is going to be a long chapter and will follow Ali from the time she wakes up in her hotel room, her checking in at the airport, and then we will find out her fate with the crash.**

 **Please review! Let me know what you thought. Any questions, concerns, suggestions, etc., leave them in a review or PM them to me. :)**

 ** _PLL and their children:_**

 **Jonathan Wayne Dilaurentis-Fields – Jon is 9 years old. He is a big brother to twin girls. He resembles Emily the most. Jon is a quiet boy. He keeps to himself, loves school and does well in his classes, and enjoys going to the pool with Emily.**

 **Lillian Pamela Dilaurentis-Fields – Lily is 3 months old. She is the oldest twin. Lily is a very happy baby, always smiling and giggling. She is just learning to coo and babble. She loves having her big brother make silly faces at her.**

 **Gracelyn Jessica Dilaurentis-Fields – Grace is 3 months old. She is the youngest twin. Grace is a very loud baby. She resembles Alison is in both her looks and personality. She loves being the center of attention. Grace enjoys being played with by Jon and loves to giggle and smile just like Lily.**

 **Harper Ella Montgomery-Fits – Harper is 12 years old and the oldest of all the children. She is a big sister to Finley. She loves school, her favorite class is art, and she has inherited her parents' love of photography and old, black and white movies.**

 **Finley Oliver Montgomery-Fits – Finley is the third oldest at 4 years old. Finn is every bit of a "normal" little boy. He loves his cars and trucks and staying at home with his daddy. Finn looks like Ezra. He has blue eyes and curly brown hair.**

 **Hanna and Caleb are waiting to hear back from the adoption agency as they have decided to adopt as a way to begin a family. Spencer and Toby are pregnant with their first child, a little boy whose name they are keeping a secret.**


	3. Alison's Morning

**Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters. This includes the characters of Lily and Grace. I do own the character of Jonathan Dilaurentis-Fields and all other children.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: T to be safe.**

 **Notes: Hey all! I finally have my computer back. Here is chapter 3. I** **'m really excited to get this story going. This chapter will be with Ali and her morning at the airport. Just 2 more chapters and** **we will move away from September 11th. :)**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 _ **Tuesday, September 11**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2001  
Boston, Massachusetts**_

* * *

 ** _*7:00 a.m.*_**

At exactly seven in the morning, Alison Dilaurentis-Fields' alarm clock in the hotel where she is staying goes off. She is to be at the airport in just over an hour, so she can fly home to be with her wife and children, whom she has not seen since last Friday.

Alison quickly throws on some clothes, just a comfortable shirt and pants that also look "half decent." She packs her toiletries, grabs her shoes and jacket, and loads up the trolley with her suitcases.

At the airport, Alison stands in line to check in. There are tons of people here, milling around, some hurrying to get to their business meetings, and Ali even spots a mother and her three children holding up a sign. She watches as the crowd of people just unboarding a plane disperses and a man dressed in camo is greeted by the three children running over to him, screaming "Daddy!"

Once she is checked in, Ali goes to the waiting area for her gate. Then she decides to call Emily. Her wife should be up with their twin daughters right now.

" _Hey, baby_ ," Emily greets.

"Hey, Em! How's everything there? The kids giving you a hard time or anything?"

" _No, nothing like that. Jon was very helpful last night with the twins. He took a shower and laid his clothes out without much fuss and kept the babies entertained while I had a shower and something to eat_."

Alison is impressed with this. Don't get her wrong, Jon is by no means a child with behavioral issues or anything, but he _is_ still a nine-year-old boy who has his occasional moments of disrespect, attitude, and not listening.

"Wow! Maybe we should think about paying him more,"

" _That's what I was thinking. Maybe we could discuss when you get home_?"

"That sounds good. I was just wanting to call you to say that I am going to be getting on a plane soon. I'll be there around 11 a.m. or so. I'm going to come home, freshen up, and then go to pick him up for lunch?"

" _That sounds good. How about I come with you. I can go in to check him out and then you can surprise him in the car_?" Alison agrees to that and, after speaking for a while longer, Alison says she has to go because her flight is going to be called soon.

Ali takes her phone and plugs it up in one of the many outlets underneath the window.

She has approxmately 25 minutes before she has to baord, so she decides to do the last minutes things, go to the bathroom and grab a bottle of water from a vending machine.

As Alison is looking through a magazine, she hears a sudden cry from what sounds like a young child. Looking up, she sees a redheaded little boy, no older than 3 or 4. An older child, this one about 8 or 9, also a boy, is standing beside the younger child, while he holds his cheek as a little one would after being hit in the face.

Looking around, she does not see any adults that may be their parents, nor does anyone else seem to have noticed what is going on, so she stands up and approaches the two.

"Hey, there, guys. What's going on here? Where are your parents?"

"Papa has gone," The older boy has an accent, Alison guesses it's British. "Mum told us to wait here. Tommy was not listening. I just gave him a pop like Mum would."

Pushing back the urge to scold this child for slapping or "popping" his younger brother in the face, she says, "Well, now. Let's just come over here and sit down, shall we?"

She brings the two over to her seat and has them sit down. "Now, can you two tell me your names? My name is Alison. What are yours? How old are you two?"

"My name is Charlie. I am nine years old. This is my brother Thomas, but we call him Tommy. He is turning 4 in two weeks."

"Okay, Charlie and Tommy. Can either of you tell me where your mom is right now?"

Charlie shrugs as an answer. "Mum told us to wait here. She did not say where she was going."

Alison sighs. She looks around for anyone that may be looking for their children. She sees men and women dressed for conferences. She sees families dressed in matching shirts as if they are going somewhere fun for a vacation. She sees little girls and boys at the window, watching the planes take off and land.

But she does not see anyone who Charlie and Tommy may belong to.

"OK, it is going to all right. I need you to wait here, okay?" Charlie nods while Tommy is still sniffling. Alison gets out a bag of chips and some water. "Here is a snack for you two. It's ok. Go ahead and take it." Charlie takes the water while Tommy gets the chips. She helps him open it, and he eagerly begins eating them.

"I am going to go to a service desk and ask for them to page your mom, alright? Can you tell me what her name is?"

"Um…" Suddenly, Charlie does not look like the confident 9-year-old he was moments ago. He straightens up and begins to look panicked. "N-no, you don't have to do that, Miss Alison. Our mom-she told…she really told us that we should meet her in the…um…" Alison just raises an eyebrow as the little boy flounders for an explanation, an excuse, anything at all.

"McDonald's!" Tommy pipes up. "Mummy said 'meet me at McDonald's'"

"Yes!" Charlie is quickly agreeing, jumping up from the seat. "That's right, she said McDonald's. Come on, Tommy." The younger boy jumps up also. He grabs his brother's hand and the two take off before Alison can get even get a single word out.

Standing up from her bent position, she looks around. She gets fleeting sight of Charlie before he disappears into the crowd.

Alison just sighs deeply, throwing her hands up as she plops down onto one of the chairs. She gets out the magazine and doesn't even get halfway through a paragraph before her flight number and gate is being called.

Alison grabs her purse, her water, and her suitcase, and heads to the line. The person greets her and she hands him her ticket. Checking that it is right, Alison is sent through the terminal.

Alison just can't stop smiling. In less than four hours, she will see Emily, Jon, and Lily and Grace. She feels giddy. It may seem silly, but this is the longest Ali has been away from her family since getting married.

Usually, Emily and Alison would take Jon out of school for Ali's buisness trips. They would extend the trip a few days and go have fun, since they were far and few over the years. Now, they have 3-month-old twins and so they can't just pack up and leave for a few days.

As Alison is taking her seat, she looks through her purse for her MP3 player, so she can listen to some music. As she digs around, she realizes she does not have her wallet. Which means she has no money and she does not have her driver's license or any of her credit cards.

Panicking, she stands up and finds a flight attendant. She pleads with her to let her off. She really needs to go find her wallet.

She has no idea of the actual reason she feels the need to get off the plane.

* * *

 **And here is chapter 3! You got to see some stuff in Alison's point of view. The part with Charlie and Tommy was completely random and basically filler. I just needed something to make the chapter longer. :/**

 **The next chapter will go back and forth between Emily and Ali and have a lot more details.**

 **Please review! Let me know what you thought. I would love to know! I have the next three chapters ready to post. I am working on chapter 7. Give me five reviews for this chapter and as soon as I get them, I'll update with #4! :)**

* * *

 **Random notes relevant only to those that watch DC The Legends of Tomorrow... **Spoiler Alert for those that have NOT watched season 3!**

 **Ugh, you guys! I just watched the season 3 final of The Legends. *Spoiler Alert* I can't believe Amaya is gone! I mean, I know _why_ she had to leave to go back to Zambesi and I _knew_ it was going to happen, but actually watching it, T.T The only good thing is Avalance (Ava Sharpe/Sara Lance) in season 4. Btw, for those that watch, the trailer has CONFIRMED that Avalance is a go for S4! (I'm so excited, only 15 more days! (Oct. 22). :D**


	4. No Longer in Service

**Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters. This includes the characters of Lily and Grace. I do own the character of Jonathan Dilaurentis-Fields and all other children.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: M. Not meant for children under the age of 13.**

 **Trigger Warning: This is set heavily on and around the events that took place in New York on September 11, 2001. Please be cautious while reading this story.**

* * *

 _ **Tuesday, September 11**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2001  
Los Angeles, California**_

* * *

 ** _*Meanwhile, with Emily in California*_**

Emily is filled with dread, pure _dread_ as she hears the announcement. The girls look at her in shock and concern as her face drains of color and she stumbles to a chair.

"Emily?" Aria, who is closest to her, comes over. "Em, what's going on?"

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Emily says, "That's Alison's plane." A silence follows this statement. The girls look back at the TV as the video is replaying the plane hitting the South Tower.

Finally, Spencer finds her voice. "Wha-what… _what the hell_ are you talking about? Alison isn't coming home until tomorrow. Why-wh-…why would she be on a plane _today_?"

Emily rakes her hands over her face. This was supposed to be a good thing. This was supposed to be a fun surprise for Emily and the kids and Alison.

Now…

Well, now it's nothing more than a nightmare.

"Ali was coming home today," Emily finally whispers. "It was going to a surprise. I was supposed to pick her up and take her to check Jon out for lunch."

She glances around the room at the three girls she has known since she was 8 years old. Hanna and Aria are in tears. Spencer looks close to it, but Emily knows she is holding it together because _someone_ needs to.

Emily hears a sound and turns around.

It's Jonathan, standing in the kitchen doorway. He has tears streaming down his face.

He sees her and runs over. Emily catches Jon, lifting him up into her lap as he begins sobbing. Hearing this, hearing her little boy crying over something he should never be experiencing, her emotions are no longer in her control.

"I know, baby," She whispers this as Jon buries his face in her neck. "I know. You're ok. You're all right." She doesn't tell _it_ is ok. She doesn't tell him _it will_ be ok. Because she has no clue.

She has absolutely no clue whether _it_ will _ever_ be ok.

"I-I-I… I want M-mommy!" Jon cries, barely comprehensible through his sobs.

Emily looks up, making eye contact with the guys who have come to make sure Jon _didn't_ go into the kitchen. She looks around the room as Caleb comes to wrap an arm around Hanna and Finley runs to Aria. He does not understand at all of what is going on.

All he knows is his sissy, his cousins, his mommy and daddy, and his aunts and uncles are sad. And crying. And look scared. And no one will tell what is going on.

"Mommy, what's *sniffle* what's going on?" Ezra picks him up. Harper comes over. He pulls his wife and daughter into his arms. Being 12, Harper knows the most. Understands the most. A plane hit the Twin Towers. She may not understand _why_ but she does get that that will mean countless people who are now dead.

"Emily," its Toby that pulls her out of her thoughts. "Em, why don't you call Alison? She's in Boston, right? Maybe she can tell us more. Maybe she knows more of what is going on."

Emily nods. She doesn't have the heart to tell him that _yes,_ Alison is in Boston, _but_ unless by some miracle she did not get on that plane, then she is already dead. She's probably gone.

But, she does it anyway. She _needs_ to do it. Jon _needs_ her to do it. Lily and Grace, well, they may be, be attending to by Spencer who is no longer in the kitchen, who left once she heard the cries on the baby monitor, but they _need_ her to.

So, she does.

Emily pulls the house phone from the wall.

She listens to the dial tone before pushing the numbers she has long memorized.

She listens, as she gets no response whatsoever.

No ringing.

No voicemail.

No "busy" dial tone.

Nothing.

She hangs up and redials.

And she redials.

Again. And again, and again, and again.

She realizes what it means the sixth time she gets the "We're sorry. The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected or is no longer in service. Please try again later."

She looks around again. She can see it in their faces. The girls realize. The guys, they don't know that Alison was coming home today. They have no idea.

Until Aria chokes it out when it is clear Emily is unable to. She doesn't say it aloud, however. She takes them over to the corner. She explains that Alison was coming home today. And she tells them that their best friend was on Flight 175.

* * *

 ** _*Meanwhile, in Boston*_**

After explaining what's wrong and _maybe_ threatening to get her fired, Alison is let off the plane.

After comes out of the gate, she pauses. Looking back, she gets this… _feeling_ …that losing her wallet would be the best mistake she's ever made.

Alison hurries through the crowd of newcomers who have checked for their flights. She reaches the bathroom and bursts through the door, desperate to find her wallet in time before a not-so-good Samaritan gets their hands on it instead.

Alison glances around the bathroom. It's your typical public restroom. Stalls on the right, a row of sinks to the left, and at the opposite end of the door, a changing table for babies.

Alison does not see her wallet. She gets anxious as she searches underneath the sinks and in the stalls, coming up empty.

She gets outside and stops. Her mind is running wild. Could she have put her wallet in her suitcase? The one that is not her carry-on bag and is in the airplane already?

She most certainly did not see it in her purse. She has a small purse, as is common for her during times like this. It is big enough for her cell phone, wallet, car keys, important notes for her meeting, and her cell phone charger.

So, it's not like Alison would have missed it while digging for her MP3.

She hears the intercom come on and the "final call" for her flight being announced. Alison blows out a breath. She wants to believe she misplaced the wallet and left in her other suitcase, but what if she didn't? What if she gets home and in two weeks she receives a notice in the mail about payments due on her credit cards, with purchases she never did herself?

Alison walks to the big bay windows. She watches as the plane pulls away, the doors folds up, and the plane taxis down the runway before it begins it accent into the air.

And that leaves Alison there, officially having missed her flight.

It doesn't register with her that not only are her suitcase and carry-on still on the plane, but so is her purse, which just so happens to contain her cell phone and any change she would need to use a payphone.

* * *

 ** _*Back in Los Angeles*_**

"Mama," Emily looks at her little boy. He is every bit of her, but those eyes. My god, do those eyes remind her of Alison. "Mama, why won't Mommy answer her phone?"

Emily takes a deep breath. As much as she wants to breakdown. As much as she feels the need to crawl into her bed and sob into her pillow…she can't do it.

So, instead, she just hugs him. And she whispers that she does not know why mommy won't answer the phone.

Until, the kitchen phone rings.

It's so shrill that it makes nearly everyone in the room jump a mile in the air.

Toby is the one to answer.

Emily watches as his face crumples in unbelievable relief and he holds it out towards Emily.

"I-it's…it's Ali," He chokes out and Emily takes it from him, her hands shaking as she brings it to her ear.

" _Em-Emily?_ "

And she can't think of time she has craved for the sound of, or been more relieved to hear Alison's voice more than she does right now.

* * *

 **And there it is! This was much longer than the others, Chapter 5 will have Alison talking to Emily, the kids, and everyone on the phone.**

 **Please review, and thank you for reading. Can we go for between 7 and 10 reviews for the next one? (not all guest reviews either! Haha ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters, including Lily and Grace. I do own Jonathan Dilaurentis-Fields and all other children.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: T to be safe.**

 **Important notes: I accidently deleted the part that explained it, but after Alison gets off the plane, she and the other airport occupants watch the news broadcast of the plane crashes. She is in shock as she realizes that was her plane. Two gentlemen introduces themselves as Josiah and David Berry. They help Alison calm down and Josiah offers her his phone to get in touch with Emily.**

 **Trigger Warning: This story is set heavily around the events that took place in New York on September 11, of 2001. Please be cautious while reading.**

 **Thank you to those that reviewed on the last chapter. Here is chapter 5. I hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

 ** _September 11, 2001_**

* * *

" _E-Em?_ " Alison stutters out her name and Emily can't do anything but sit there. The others watch her. Jon sits on Emily's lap and looks at his mama.

He hears Alison's voice and immediately perks up.

"Mommy!" He practically yanks the phone out of her hands, something he normally wouldn't do, but Emily lets it slide, as she can understand.

"Mommy, you're ok!"

" _Yes, baby_ ," Alison breathes. She laughs breathily and can't remember a time she's been as happy to hear her son's voice as she is now. " _I'm ok. I'm so happy to hear your voice. Is Mama still there? Can I speak to her, please, sweetheart?_ "

"Yes, hang on. Mama," Jon holds the phone out. "Mommy wants to talk to you." Emily takes the phone.

By now, Spencer and Toby are walking around the kitchen, each with a bottle, Spencer feeding Lily, Toby - Grace. Finley is watching intently, still being held by Ezra. Aria is sitting at the table and Harper is in her lap. Hanna and Caleb are leaning against the doorway.

"Alison," Emily is surprised she doesn't stutter or falter in speaking. "Ali, are you ok? W-why-where are you? Please tell me you are safe."

" _I'm…I'm all right,_ " Alison says fully believing, for the first time since everything happened she _is_ ok. " _I'm here at the airport_ ," Alison's voice cracks and she sniffles. " _I got off the plane, Emmy_ ," Suddenly, she feels like a scared 6-year-old telling her parents about a bad dream.

" _I got off the plane and then I-I-I heard about what-…_ " She trails off unable to actually say the words _I got off before the plane was hijacked and crashed_.

"I'm so happy you are okay," Emily tells her. "I love you, sweetheart. I love you so much. You're going to ok, all right? We'll get you home somehow and everything is going to be ok." With tears streaming down her face, Emily looks to her friends. She can see the relief on their faces.

"Aunt Emmy," Finn says, looking at her with his big, innocent blue eyes. "Please, I talk to Auntie Ali?" It's just so _Finley_ that Emily actually laughs, nods, and motions for him to come over. He eagerly lets his legs dangle from Ezra's waist so he is let down and then he runs over.

Taking the phone, Finley holds it in the normal "kid" fashion, with one hand on top and one on the bottom.

"Hi, Auntie Ali!" He says, smiling his adorable little grin.

" _Finn! Hey, Lil' Booger, what are you up to?_ "

"Nothing! I haved no school t'day!" He says because Ezra and Aria homeschool him. Ezra does Mondays and Wednesdays, Aria does Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Fridays is a free day, unless they have something they need to finish from the other days.

" _You didn't?_ " Alison asks. " _Well, lucky you_!"

"Uh-huh. I had a fwee day. But it not Fwiday!"

" _I know, it's only Tuesday, huh?_ " Alison smiles again at his _uh-huh_. " _That's pretty cool you get a free day for a Tuesday._ "

They talk for a bit more before Harper comes over. "Finny, I wanna talk too, okay? Let me see the phone." Finn obediently hands the phone over, then goes to get a chair and pushes it over. Harper sits in it and lets Finn climb into her lap.

"Hi, Auntie Ali," Harper says. "How are you? Did you see the news?" Not knowing she should probably avoid the topic, she continues. "Your plane crashed into the South Tower! Auntie Em said you were supposed to be on the plane, but you weren't on there."

Alison sighs quietly. She really doesn't want to talk about it but she also does not want to be rude to her niece.

" _I just missed my flight, that's all, Harp. I was in the bathroom and could not get to the gate fast enough._ "

"Oh," Harper nods. "Ok." She accepts that answer because once when she was nine, she was in the bathroom with her mom, Aria, and her then-one-year-old brother Finley. Finley was sitting on the counter and was going through a phase where he would take all the contents of his diaper bag and throw them across the room.

Needless to say, once Aria got all the things back in the bag, picked up her purse and ushered Finley and Harper out of the bathroom, and got to the gate, their plane was shut off and preparing to taxy down the runway.

Harper goes on to speak to her aunt about the normal things an aunt and niece talk about. Next, the phone goes back to Jon. He asks when Ali is going to be home and other questions.

After about 15 minutes of everyone else speaking to Alison, Emily suddenly has the need to hear her voice again so she asks to have the phone back.

Emily just talks to Alison. About anything and everything, even stupid stuff. Just to keep her speaking, soaking in the feeling Alison's voice gives her. She will never, in her entire life, take the sound of her wife's voice for granted again.

* * *

 ** _Boston, Massachusetts_**

* * *

 ** _*2 hours later*_**

For nearly hours, Alison and every other occupant of the airport stare at the television. No one can believe what they are seeing.

They watch in disbelief as the planes hit the towers, and then the news reports planes crashing into the Pentagon and an empty field. And then, everyone watches in utter terror as the Twin Towers begin falling, folding in on themselves as if they were made of nothing more than dirt and sticks.

Everyone is calling their loved ones, or getting their own calls. They call to check in, to tell them they are ok, they call to talk to the people on the planes. Ali can hear the heartbreaking sobs of a woman when she realizes her daughter was on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.

For the first time in anytime at all, Alison looks around and sees people putting their own problems aside to hold a stranger in comfort, to lend someone a cell phone, to share in the good news that a loved one is safe.

And Ali looks to David and Josiah, and their daughter Rachel, who have stayed with her the past few hours.

"Alison, honey," Josiah says in his soothing voice. "Do you have place where you can stay? Do you need David and I to drive you anywhere? If you do not, you are more than welcome to come and stay with us."

Alison accepts this offer because, even if she did not want to, she would have nowhere to stay and she knows the airport will still be open to sending and receiving planes and even if they were, she has no money whatsoever to buy another plane ticket.

So, it is settled that they will accommodate Alison in their home. They take her to Wal*Mart to get her the basics. To start off, they get five t-shirts, five pairs of sweatpants/shorts, and some underwear and socks (Alison is most embarrassed about this, what grown woman wants two, strange men buying her undergarments?), a bottle of shampoo, and a hairbrush and toothbrush and tooth paste.

They also buy her a small backpack, one that is big enough for everything, for when she travels home.

They also get her a pay-as-you-go phone, since hers was on the plane. They want her to be able to get in touch with her family whenever possible.

No one, not Alison, not David or Josiah, or anyone else knows when it is possible that the airports will be back open, meaning Alison going home is still of an unknown date.

So, until then, Josiah and David will keep their home open to Alison. They comfort her on the night of the eleventh. They calm her after her nightmare where she was actually _on_ the plane and they remind her, gently and softly, that that is not true. That she got off the plane. That she is safe and alive and okay.

Alison calls Emily on her burner phone and tells her and Jon goodnight. She tells Emily to give Lily and Grace an extra hug and kiss from her and she sleeps until nearly nine the next morning, being woken up by the smell of coffee, eggs, and bacon.

* * *

 **Here is it! The next chapter will have a big time jump, two weeks in the future. I really wanted to have Emily hop in her car and drive all the way from Los Angeles to Boston. I feel like, during this time, all rationality would go out the window and that would probably be something she would do.**

 **I Won't do that, however, I think what I am going to do, though, will be just as realistic.**

 **I won't give you a limit this time since I only have the next chapter prewritten. #7 is a little harder for some reason but I will get it up! I hope to have this story finished by Thanksgiving, which means 4 chapters in under a month. So please review. :)**


	6. On My Way Home

**Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters, including Lily and Grace. I do own Jonathan Dilaurentis-Fields and all other children.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: T to be safe.**

 **Notes: Thank you to everyone that has reviewed on this story! I really appreciate it. When I first started, I didn't know if I was going to be able to do – I wasn't sure of what to write or how to get Alison to _not_ be on the plane. But it turned out easier than I thought, and here we are! So thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed so far. :)**

 **Notes: I am not sure how long after 9/11 it was before airports opened back up, but I am going to go with two weeks for the sake of this story.**

 **Trigger Warning: This chapter has an actual dialogue of the plane's hijacking. Please be cautious and it will be marked.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 ** _September 18th, 2001  
Boston, Massachusetts_**

* * *

 ** _*2 weeks later*_**

It is not until two full weeks later that the airports open back up. On September 12, the day after what is now being called 9/11, Emily had wanted to jump in her car and drive straight to Boston to get Alison.

It took Spencer, Toby, Aria, and Alison herself to talk Emily out of that. They may be well off, but they certainly do not have enough money to make the roundtrip of what would probably be 3+ days, especially when you add in stops for gas, food, and other things.

Finally, Emily relented. She has spoken to Alison each day in the weeks that followed the terrorists attacks. She made sure that Josiah and his husband were taking care of Ali and she let Ali speak to the kids over the phone.

Alison called her parents, her grandparents, her aunts and uncles, Jason, Emily's parents, everyone one by one, and let them know that she was ok.

Now here it is, 2 weeks later. 14 days have passed since everyone's lives were been turned upside down.

People are still over at the crash site of what was once the Twin Towers. They have moved from a Search and Rescue, to a Search and Recovery.

They are unearthing nothing as of right now. No bodies can be found among the wreckage. Those that _do_ find a body, well, it is nothing more than a hand or leg that once belonged to someone.

There are so many Missing Persons posters listing names of loved one, firefighters, paramedics, and other people who were in the Towers when the planes hit. People who were killed, lost in the wreckage, or simply seemed to have vanished.

Today is the first day that the airports are opening back up and Josiah and David immediately buy Alison a ticket on the first flight back to Los Angeles.

Alison thanks them profusely for their hospitality and putting up with her during the nights, when she had dreams about being on the planes, about dying, about having to call Emily and tell her, her plane had been hijacked.

"Alison," David says to her in his soothing voice. "Please, it was our pleasure. You needed a place to stay and we had more than enough room. It was no bother all, Hun."

"You've done more than open up your home to me," Alison explains. "You comforted me, you let me come into your home and disrupt your life, you made sure I had clothes to wear, food to eat, you've spent so much money, I don't think I could ever fully thank you for that."

Josiah and David drive Alison to the airport after dropping Rachel off at school. They follow her as far as they can before giving her a hug and a 'good luck' as they watch her head towards the gate to her plane.

Alison, once again, gets in line. She hands the person her ticket, walks down the tunnel, and gets to the plane and all the way to her seat.

It is only when she is buckled in, that what she is doing catches up with her.

The air suddenly feels too thick. She can't breathe. Alison tries to take calming breaths as she leans back in and turns the little air vent towards her face.

But then, her dream comes back full force.

 ** _***_** _"This is a hijacking!" One man, with a bandana on, yells. People start freaking out, crying and shouting._

 _"Everybody shut up, stay seated, and no one will get hurt!" The man continues._

 _It isn't long before Alison is alerted to the pilot and co-pilot being shot and the cockpit being taken over._

 _People begin crying and looking around. Some are shot, as they try to be heroes, try to take these guys down only to get a bullet or stab wound instead._

 _Alison's heart drops as she begins to fully understand what is happening._

 _Everyone is herded to the back of the plane. They group up back there. The people speak to each other. They call loved ones, 911, and there's talk about a group of them overpowering these hijackers and getting the plane back in their control._

 _Alison hears as one man is speaking to his wife. He tells them the Pentagon has been hit. He tells them there are other planes that have been or are being hijacked._

 _The person next to Alison looks to her. She gently tells the blonde that_ she _needs to do it. Alison needs to call whoever it is she needs to speak with, and she needs to let her loved ones know what is going on. *******_

And just like that, Alison is back in the present. Her heart is racing and her palms feel sweaty.

She can't do this. What was she thinking? Is she crazy? Someone once told her that flying is the safest form of transportation, but they obviously did not know of possible hijackings that could take place on said planes.

She needs to get home to her family, to her wife and children, but there has to be a better way. A safer way to do this.

The air blowing in her face is more of nuisance than a help. She can't breathe. The last time she felt like this, this nervous, this panicky, was when she was 10 years old and about to play her very first soccer game.

The elephant that sat on her chest, the one that made her panic and breath funny and cry and worry and just all around made her _not_ want to play, well, it's back. With a vengeance.

Alison stands from her seat. She goes to door and demands to be let out. It isn't until she starts making a fuss, making a scene that has the pilot coming to find out what the noise is about, that she is let off the plane.

She grabs her backpack and jacket and runs off the plane. Alison glances at her phone.

It's only been 10 minutes since she boarded the plane. 10 minutes that felt like hours to the blonde.

She guesses she will just have to find another way home.

Maybe she _should_ have let Emily take the trip down here to pick her up.

She sighs as she dials the Berrys' phone number. David picks up and doesn't say a word except for, " _Don't worry, sweetheart. We stayed just in case. We are out front. Just come on out, unless you need one of us to come and get you?_ "

Alison says she does not and that she will be right out.

She really will not be able to thank Josiah and David enough for all they have done.

* * *

 ** _*3 days later*_**

It's three days later that Alison is looking out of the windows of the Berrys' living room. It's after lunchtime, about 1:30 in the afternoon.

Since the plane trip was a no-go, Alison had called Emily up and told her she could come and get her, if she still wanted to.

Of course, Emily said yes right away.

She made plans for Jon and the twins, took time off her work, and got everything ready. The plan is for Emily and Toby to make the trip from Los Angeles to Boston. They are going to stop at the halfway point at a hotel and freshen up before continuing on.

They are to arrive today, at any minute.

This is officially the longest that Alison has ever been away from Emily and she is ready for it to be over with.

To be home with her wife and children.

To be able to kiss them and hug them goodnight and read Jon another story, feed Lily and Grace another bottle, and talk to her family and friends in person, instead of over the phone.

Finally, they get there.

Finally, Alison is throwing open the door and running into the drive.

Finally, she is wrapped in her wife's arms and she is kissing her, touching, listening to her voice, and _feeling_ her.

 _Finally,_ Alison feels as if she can breathe again.

She turns to where Josiah and David are waiting on the porch.

She and Emily and even Toby give them a hug, thank them profusely for what they have done and then they are off.

It's nearly 48 hours later, in the dead of night, when they pull up at the house.

Nearly a month has passed since Alison was last home, a little over 3 weeks, to be specific. She can't believe it has been that long.

That long since she was giving Emily long goodbye kisses in bed. That long since running out the door, driving to the airport, and flying to Boston.

Almost that long since everything happened on that fateful, sunny, Tuesday morning.

 _That long_ since she was _home_.

And right now, she couldn't be happier.

* * *

 **Wow! I think I wrote this in probably an hour or less. The next chapter will be #7. I think this will end up being an even 10 chapters.**

 **Next Up: _October 1st, 2001_ – Alison's first day home since everything that has happened.**

 **Please review! :)**


	7. My Precious Little Ones

**Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters. This includes the Lily and Grace. I do own Jonathan Dilaurentis-Fields and all other children.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: M. Some scenes not meant for children under the age of 13.**

 **Notes: This chapter is lighter than the others. Alison is home. She gets to see Jon and the twins. They go to the park, out to eat, just some good olé Dilaurentis–Fields family fluff.**

 **Hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

 _ **Monday, October 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **, 2001  
Los Angeles, California**_

* * *

 ** _*Dilaurentis-Fields Residence*_**

Finally, after being away from her family for nearly 4 weeks, Alison is home. In her own bed. Next to her wife. And down the hall from her son and daughters.

It is 2 in the morning of September twenty–fourth when she is woken up by not her screams, but Jonathan's.

She bolts upright in bed and notices Emily is already up and moving out of bed.

"Em?" Alison is just a little freaked out. Why is Emily acting as if Jonathan waking up like this is not new? "What's going on? What's wrong with Jonathan?"

Emily sighs as she comes around to Alison's side of the bed. She sits down next to her wife and says, "He's been doing this for the last couple of weeks. Having nightmares. He has dreams of you on the plane or all of us on the plane, and he wakes up either crying or screaming or both."

Alison opens and closes her mouth a couple of times. She never even thought of this. How could she _not_ think of this? Of course, she would not be the only one affected by what happened. Of course, Jon, her _son_ , would have dreams about this, about her not getting off the plane, of her _dying_.

"I'm coming with you." She says getting out of bed and following Emily down the hallway to their son's bedroom.

"Hey, Jonny," Emily whispers as she immediately goes to her son's aide. "It's ok, baby. You're all right. It was just a dream." Emily whispers these things soothingly.

"Please, Mama, I wanna talk to mommy," Jon says once he has calmed down a little bit. He's still visible upset, shaken and with tears on his face.

"Well, baby," Emily says. "Mommy's home now. She's right over there." Emily points to the doorway where Alison is still standing.

Alison comes over and sweeps Jon into her arms. She whispers to him how much she loves him, how she missed him, how the dreams weren't true. She tells him she was ok, and that nothing happened to her.

Jon begs to sleep in their bed tonight. Something he hasn't done since he was four and moved to a "big boy" bed for the first time. Alison just nods and moves the blankets while Emily gets Jon's stuffed bunny.

The three go to Em and Ali's bedroom. Emily gets Jon settled while Alison checks on Lily and Grace. Seeing the two girls sound sleep, Alison gently runs her fingertips over each of their cheeks.

She watches as their chests rise and fall with each breath, thinking _how close_ she came to not being able to come home to her family, like so many people on _that_ day.

* * *

 ** _*Next morning*_**

The next morning, Jon, once again, does not go to school. He hasn't been since what happened on the eleventh. He had panic attacks at school for three days after everything happened and then began begging Emily not to make him go.

He wanted to stay home and wait on Alison to get there. He wanted to call Ali, in the mornings, at lunch, in the afternoon, at night. He was so anxious about what _could have_ happened that he was just simply unable to function in school.

"What time is Wesley supposed to be here?" Alison asks as she and Emily are downstairs with Jon, making breakfast and coffee. Jon is showing Alison the first couple of worksheets that he has done with his now homeschool teacher, Wesley "Wes" Johnson.

Homeschool was something that both Aria and Ezra suggested after learning of Jon not being to go to school. Since Emily was unsure of when Alison would come home, it could have been weeks or even months, she said yes.

Now, Wes comes to the house around 9:30 a.m. He does a few lessons with Jon, math and reading, in the mornings. They have lunch and go to the park from 12-1:15 in the afternoon before coming home and doing some social studies and science.

This has been going on since last Wednesday, so about half a week.

"I told him about you being home and he said he would give us a few days off." Emily answers. Jon goes to put up his science worksheet and then comes back, immediately sitting on the bar stool right next to Alison.

"Mommy, do you wanna go to the park today? We can play soccer." Jon suggests. And if Alison is surprised at this, Jon suggesting that they play soccer, something that he normally does not enjoy, she does not say anything.

Instead, Alison just smiles. "Sure, baby. I would love to play soccer with you." The three sit down for breakfast, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and sausage.

Emily goes to get Lily and Grace when they begin to wake up and fuss. Alison holds her daughters close, hugging them and talking to them and telling them how much she loves them.

She and Emily give them a bottle and then get them dressed for the park. Jon gets diapers, wipes, burp clothes, pacifiers, extra outfits, and some toys, and puts them in the twins' diaper bags.

"Mommy!" Jon calls out as he comes running into the room. "Mommy, I have the bags packed, I did them all by myself." Alison glances at the bags and notices that he was able to get everything into the bags in a more organized way than she or Emily have ever been able to.

"Nice job, baby. Thank you. You're a very good helper." Jon asks if she would make a bottle for the twins. Ali, at first, goes to say that she is looking for a good pair of shoes to play soccer in and for him to go ask Emily.

But then she stops. She looks at him. She sees what either Emily does not see, or just has not commented on yet.

That look. The one that a person or child would get when spending time with a loved one, a parent, or best friend, whom they almost lost.

Then, it clicks.

Jon begging to sleep in their bed last night – something he has not done since he was four, not even when he went through the "scared of the dark" phase at age 6 (he slept in a sleeping bag in their floor for that).

Then this morning. Instead of sitting next to Emily for breakfast, like he usually does, he sat next to her. He insisted on her helping him pick out some sweats and a tank top, even though he has not requested or needed help in two years.

And now, asking her to make the bottles instead of going to Emily like he would usually do.

This is more than Jon just being scared because his mom was supposed to be on a plane that crashed.

So, indulging him a little bit, Ali says, "Tell ya'what, J-bug. If you can find me my tennis shoes, then I will go and fix a couple of bottles. How's that?" Seeing that he is still hesitant, Alison kisses his forehead and says, "It'll only be a minute, and then I will be back, ok?"

Jon just nods and goes to look in Alison's side of the closet to look for her tennis shoes.

 ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/_**

Later in the morning, Emily and Alison finally get out of the house. They walk to the park since it is such a nice day. Grace and Lily are in their double stroller and Jon is riding his bike ahead of them.

They get to the park and Emily sits out a blanket for her to play with Lily and Grace on while Alison and Jon start kicking around their soccer ball.

"Look at mommy and bubba playing soccer," Emily tells Gracie, holding her up and pointing them out, "Little Lily, do you want to read a book?" Emily sits the girls against their donut pillows and picks out a book that Jon put in one of the diaper bags.

Later on, about an hour after being at the park, Jon stops kicking the ball and runs over to someone. Alison watches him go and sees her parents, Jessica and Kenneth Dilaurentis, walking in the gates.

"Nana! Papa!" Kenneth sweeps Jon into his arms and twirls him around. He then puts the young boy down and lets him pull him over to Emily and the twins.

Kenneth and Jessica both pull Alison into their arms. Jessica is crying and Kenneth is savoring the feel of his daughter in his arms. He came way too close to losing her just a few short weeks ago.

"Mom, I'm ok. I'm all right," Alison tells her when she begins crying. To distract them, she says, "Dad, do you want to join our game of soccer?"

"Yeah, please, Papa, come play! Mama, you can come, too. Nana can watch Lil and Gracie, that way the teams will both have two people."

"Well, I don't see why I can't," Kenneth says and he races Jon back over to their soccer ball. They split up, Jon and Emily, and Alison and Kenneth. Jessica reads to Lily and Grace, feeding them when they start to fuss and then laying them in their stroller for nap.

They play for a good hour and half. By now, they have been at the park for nearly three hours. Jon begs them to go town for lunch so Ken and Jess offer to watch the twins while Jon has a "Mama, Mommy, & Me" lunch date.

(Note: it wasn't until I got the next part that I realized they are not in Rosewood. So let's pretend that Jessica and Kenneth moved to California for their retirement, to be closer to their grandkids and Em and Ali)

 ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/_**

Emily and Alison run home so Jon and Ali can shower and change. Then they head out for lunch. They go to Chili's and immediately get a table. Jon sits by Alison and they all get the chips, salsa, and Quesadilla for the appetizer.

"What are you going to get, Mommy?" Jon asks after their drinks and the appetizers arrive.

"Hmmm…I'm not sure. I kinda feel like having a steak."

"And what about you, Mama?" Jon turns to Emily next. She scans the menu for a moment before answering.

"I think I am going to get a burger with a side salad. What about you, bud?"

Jon has a kid's menu and is coloring in a picture of a pepper. He already knows what he wants as he gets the same thing each time.

"I want to get mac and cheese with corn on the cob and French fries. So I can eat healthy like you, Mama."

Their waitress comes back and they put in their orders. While they wait for the food, they eat the chips, salsa, and Quesadilla dip, and play tic–tac–toe with Jon.

They get their food and eat it before getting a brownie and ice cream for dessert.

"Woah!" Jon's eyes widen. "That looks delicious!" Alison chuckles her son's "big word" use and watches as he digs in. She and Emily take a few bites but let Jon finish the rest even after he is a gentlemen and asks three times if they are sure they don't want anymore.

Once they leave, they decide to expand the trip into a few more hours. It's just after noon and so they decide to go to the toy store. They look around. They let Jon try out a new bike, and Emily watches as Alison and him get into a sword fight over in the dress up isle.

Standing in the center of one of the isle's entrances, Jon holds up his sword towards Alison. "Halt! Who dares try to enter my castle? Announce yourself at once, Ye Lady."

Alison bows and holds her own sword in front of her. "Greetings, Sir Jonathan. It is I, Queen Alison, your Mother. Dear Son, may I please enter your castle?"

"Oh, Dear Mother, how I have missed you," Jon steps the side and holds his arm out. "Yes, my Queen. You may enter my castle."

"Thank you, Sir Jonathan." Alison enters the "castle" and she and Jon go from Sir and Queen, to singing "We are off to See the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz" as they skip down the aisle, arm in arm.

Emily stands by the shopping cart and watches them. She wishes she had her little handheld camcorder to record this for when the kids are older.

It is also times like these, times where Alison is just as giant of a goofball as her nine–year–old son is, that Emily remembers _why_ she loves the blonde. And it is times like these that she falls even deeper and thanks God every day that this is _her_ life. And that she _didn't_ lose it on _that_ day.

Like so many other people did.

* * *

 **Well, this was a bunch of fluffiness. I actually had fun writing this. I know I said previously that I was taking a break for the Holidays, but it has been about a month since I last update this story, so I decided to go ahead an do that!** **Please review and let me know what you thought! :)**

 **Next Up: Chapter 8 – time skip of about 2 months. Ali and Em take Jon to the doctor after becoming more concerned for him. And Caleb and Hanna get a call from the adoption agency, just in time for the holidays.**


	8. A Diagnosis and Makeup Lessons

**Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters. This includes the Lily and Grace. I do own Jonathan Dilaurentis-Fields and all other children.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: T**

 **Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and stuck with me. I did not realize it had been 4 months since I've updated but here is chapter 8.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 _ **Friday, November 16**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2001**_

* * *

 ** _*Dilaurentis-Fields residence*_**

The week before Thanksgiving is a busy one for the Dilaurentis-Fields family, but not for the reasons one may think.

Alison and Emily have spent the last couple of weeks becoming increasingly worried about their oldest child, their son, 9-year-old Jonathan.

Since what happened back in September, and since Alison returning home at the beginning of October, Jonathan has been declining in what would be considered his mental health.

Jonathan has slept in Alison and Emily's bed since the beginning of October. He is still being homeschooled by Wesley. When Ali and Emily go to work, it's hard for them to get out of the house due to how many times Jon wants to hug them or give them a kiss goodbye or asks for them to remind him _exactly what time will you and Mommy be home, Mama?_

The first couple of times when it happened, Ali and Em spoke to him about it. They told him that nothing was going to happen and that they would both be home for lunch.

Wesley brings Jon to the Apple Rose Grille and they have lunch with Alison and Emily before they go to the park while Ali and Em go back to school.

Now, though, it's concerning. Jon is still sleeping in their room. He still acts like that in the mornings. He can't be alone in a room unless Alison or Emily is in arms reach.

When they cook dinner, Jon is in the kitchen, helping out. He usually takes this time to play video games or uses it as his hour when he is allowed extra TV.

But not the last two months. The last two months, Jon has asked Em or Ali for help with picking his clothes out, for them to set out a towel in the bathroom for his nightly shower, to help them in the kitchen with the dishes.

To make matters worse, Emily and Alison tried to make Jonathan "tough it out" after a full week of this behavior. They made him sleep in his own room.

This resulted in Jon waking up from nightmares and ending up back in Alison and Emily's bedroom.

Now, here they are. Back at the doctor's office. They hope to finally have some answers for their son's odd behaviors.

* * *

In the waiting room of the doctor's office, Alison plays tic–tac–toe with Jon while Emily is conversing with her parents about Lily and Grace through texts. The twins are teething so she is checking in on them.

Finally, they are called back,

"Jonathan Dilaurentis?"

"Come on, baby," Emily holds out a hand, which Jon immediately takes. In the back, Jon gets his weight and height taken along with his temperature and blood pressure. Then they are taken to a room.

Emily gives Jon his Nintendo from her purse and then speaks quietly with Alison.

"I just hope we can finally get some answers," Emily whispers.

"Don't worry, baby," Alison says back. She puts her palm against Emily's cheek. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it. Just look at what we've already been through in the last year," She continues referring to when they thought they were going to lose Emily's dad to a heart attack in March, then with Lily and Grace when they were born in mid-June instead of early-August, and finally what happened back in September.

Emily nods. "You're right. Whatever it is, we'll be ok."

The doctor comes in then. He greets them and speaks a little to Jon before breaking the news to Alison and Emily.

"Mrs. and Mrs. Dilaurentis, I believe I have found a cause for your worries about Jonathan."

Suddenly, the good feeling leaves Emily and she is left feeling worried. God what if he he's sick or something?

"What is it, Dr. Harrison?" She asks. "Is he ok? Is there something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing like that. Have either of you heard of _Separation Anxiety Disorder_?"

"I thought that only happened with babies?" Emily says. "Jon's nine years old! Shouldn't he be too old for that?"

Dr. Harrison shakes his head. "Well, it normally occurs in children less than 2 years, yes, but older children do experience it as well. He symptoms you've listed off – not being able to sleep alone, having nightmares of a loved one being hurt, constantly asking for reassurance that you'll come back, etc., as well as what you and your family went through has caused Jon to develop _Separation Anxiety_. It's not anything bad, it isn't your fault or Jonathan's fault, but it can be hard on a family."

"Now, if you would like, we can discuss this more, if you have questions, if Jonathan has any questions, we can talk about them. Or you can give me a call and I will set you up with a licensed professional who knows all about S.A.D."

Emily and Alison decide to ask the basics – are you sure he has this? How do we treat it, therapy or medicine? and etc. Then, they leave and head home.

Ali and Em make lunch with Jon and watch a movie with him. Later on, Pam brings Lily and Grace home. And that night, the two discuss what they are going to do now. How they are going to help Jon get over this separation anxiety, how to help him believe that everything will be ok.

"What are we going to do?" Alison says. For once, she doesn't know how to proceed, how to help her family get through this. For the first time, she isn't the one jumping to make suggestions on what to do.

Emily slides into bed next to Alison. She leans over Jon who is between them and presses a kiss to Alison's forehead.

"We are going to take this one day at time," She replies. "We are going to research and learn as much as we can, and we will help our son through this time."

The two fall asleep holding hands on the pillow above Jon's head.

* * *

 ** _*1 week later (Wednesday before Thanksgiving)*_**

It's been one week since Jon's diagnosis. The families are preparing for Thanksgiving.

After Jon was diagnosed with _Separation Anxiety_ , Emily and Alison researched, spoke to their doctor, and got all possible information about having an older child who has S.A.D.

They have slowly been incorporating the things they have learned. The first thing they have done is get Jon to slowly but surely begin _not_ sleeping in their bed. They have not made him go to his room, but instead, to an air mattress in the floor.

Emily and Alison give him a hug, kiss, bedtime story, and both tuck him in. They started this on Sunday. Sunday and Monday night, Jon made it only a few hours of sleeping on the mattress before he climbed into their bed.

And last night, Emily was ready to just let Jon in their bed and forget about the mattress. But, Alison told her 'just one more night' and so they did.

And this morning when they awoke, Jon was still sound asleep, on the air mattress, wrapped in his Superman blanket, and holding his stuffed dog.

So now, it is mid-day and Emily and Alison are prepping for tomorrow.

"Mommy, can I help make the pie?" Jon asks as he comes into the kitchen from washing his hands in the bathroom.

"Sure, baby," Alison is looking over the ingredients, making sure they have everything. Emily is taking a break from making the green bean casserole, stuffing, and getting the proper dishes out to spend time with Lily and Grace.

"We need eggs, sugar, and a can of pumpkin." Jon lists off. Alison gets those and the rest of the ingredients.

"It says ¾ cup of sugar," Jon reads. "And two eggs, Mommy. And clover, – what's that?" Alison explains what it is and helps Jon to measure, add, and mix everything in. And then she puts the pie into the oven.

* * *

 ** _*Rivers Residence*_**

Hanna and Caleb are currently watching Harper and Finley. The kids wanted to spend time with their aunt and uncle instead of helping Aria and Ezra with the prep work for lunch tomorrow as they have in the past years.

Right now, Harper is giving a very intense make up lesson to Finn. And Caleb is the guinea pig.

"Now, Finny," Harper says. "You have to _be sure_ to not get the eyeliner on the cheek of your subject." She demonstrates by very carefully drawing a line of ink directly under Caleb's right eye. Finn watches closely.

"You have to carefully draw on the edge of the eyes." She puts the pen down and picks up some eyeshadow. "Now, the trick with this is, not too much, or it will take away from the rest of the face."

This time, Harper lets Finn put the eyeshadow on Caleb. He draws the brush across Caleb's eyelids.

"Wonderful!" Harper praises and Finley grins.

"Next is the blush." Harper gets the brush. "Dab the palette like this," She demonstrates. "Then, you blow lightly on it," She lets Finley do this part. "Next, you brush it on. Not too much in one area, just put it on the cheeks and brush it towards the eyes and ears, like this."

It's during this time, when Hanna is trying her best not to laugh at her big, tough husband letting his niece and nephew put makeup on him, that the phone rings.

Hanna goes to the kitchen and answers it.

She almost can't believe the person on the other end. She responds to this person's questions and comments with 'yes', 'okay', 'that sounds good', and 'thank you so much, we'll see you then'.

Then, she hangs up and walks back to the living room in almost a haze.

Caleb jumps up when he sees her. Worried, he asks what is wrong.

"That-that was Julia," Hanna says, wide-eyed. Julia is their Case Worker. She is supposed to call if the Adoption Agency that Hanna and Caleb are in contact with have any news for them.

"She said…she said she knows it is short notice, with tomorrow being Thanksgiving and everything, but…" Hanna trails off, tears in her eyes now.

"She says she has a sibling group. Three kids, Caleb," Her voice breaks. "She wants to know if we will come in for a visit, to meet them, to see if we would be interested in maybe taking them in for a practice run."

With tears of his own, Caleb swallows past the lump in his throat. This is something that he and Hanna have wanted to hear since becoming foster parents nearly 10 months ago.

He nods frantically. "Yes, yes, of course. What time?"

Hanna smiles. "Julia says we can come as soon as two hours from now."

And so they do. The next 90 minutes are a whirlwind. They straighten up the apartment, get dressed, Hanna fusses over her outfit, Caleb washes off the makeup, they drop Finn and Harper off back at home, and then they are off.

As Caleb drives, steering with one hand, the other on Hanna's knee, he looks over at this wife. She is nervously looking out of the window, her knee bouncing up and down, and biting down on her thumbnail.

They arrive at the agreed spot. Caleb parks. His chest feels tight and his heart is going a mile a minute. He looks over at Hanna to see the same anxious look in her eyes as he guesses is in his own.

He opens the door and goes over to the other side. Once Hanna's door is open also, he helps her own. Holding her hand, they walk through the park to the picnic table where Julia is.

"Caleb, Hanna," Julia greets, standing up. "Thank you so much for coming on such short notice." She shakes their hand while they return the greeting.

"Are you two ready?" They nod. Julia turns towards the playground and calls out, "Kids, could you come over here, please?"

Hanna and Caleb watch as three kids, – what looks like two older, maybe teenage girls, and a toddler boy, – come running over.

The little boy, who couldn't possibly be older than three, runs straight over to Hanna and throws his tiny arms around her legs.

He is about 3 inches taller than her knees. He looks up her and she is taken aback by his striking forest green eyes and his curly red hair.

"Are you gonna be my new mommy?"

* * *

 **Chapter 8 is done and over. What do you think? Please review and let me know what you thought! :)**

 **I have chapter 9 and the Epilogue, which is chapter 10, finished. So just five reviews for chapter 9? Please? :D**

 **Next Up: Hanna and Caleb get to know their potential foster children, and Emily and Alison make progress with Jon and his Separation Anxiety.**


	9. Road Trip with Our New Family

**Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters. This includes the Lily and Grace. I do own Jonathan Dilaurentis-Fields and all other children.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: T**

 **Notes: This is a super long one! Set over a couple of months. I also tried to get their trip as realistic as possible. To do so, I checked each of the stops they make for snow, cold temperatures, etc. but they would have run into no bad weather so the drive would have straight through with only a few stops.**

 **Here is the next chapter. This will be the last one except for chapter 10 which is the Epilogue. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favorited, and/or followed.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 ** _Previously on Always Loved, Never Forgotten – Alternate Version_**

 _"Caleb, Hanna," Julia greets, standing up. "Thank you so much for coming on such short notice." She shakes their hand while they return the greeting._

 _"Are you two ready?" They nod. Julia turns towards the playground and calls out, "Kids, could you come over here, please?"_

 _Hanna and Caleb watch as three kids, – what looks like two older, maybe teenage girls, and a toddler boy, – come running over._

 _The little boy, who couldn't possibly be older than three, runs straight over to Hanna and throws his tiny arms around her legs. He is about 3 inches taller than her knees. He looks up at her and she is taken aback by his striking forest green eyes and his curly red hair._

 _"Are you going to be my new mommy?"_

* * *

 _ **Wednesday, November 21st, 2001**_

* * *

 ** _*Park*_**

Hanna feels like she can't breathe. She looks at this young boy and she has no idea what to say.

One of the older girls step forward and takes the boy's hand.

"Georgie, come over here and sit down." Georgie follows her over to the picnic table.

"I'm two years and three fourths old!" Georgie suddenly yells out and the oldest girl giggles.

"He tells everyone we meet that," She says. "He corrects you if you say he is only 2 years old." Then Harriet properly addresses Hanna and Caleb. "My name is Harriet Madeleine. I'm 16. This is my sister Eleanor Rosalie. She's 12, almost 13. And that is George Michael."

Eleanor gives a shy wave but for the most part, Hanna and Caleb both notice that she does not really have an expression on her face and she looks immensely uncomfortable sitting there, as if this is all overwhelming and she is unsure of how to act.

"Ellie," Harriet gently says to the younger. "It's ok. You can say hi to Miss Hanna and Mr. Caleb, if you want to." But Eleanor – Ellie – doesn't do anything.

Wanting to take the pressure off the young girl, Caleb smiles at Georgie. "Georgie, I see you have some _awesome_ Batman shoes there," The toddler grins at the mention of his light-up Superhero shoes. "You know, I just so happen to _love_ Batman, too. I think he is much cooler than Superman."

Georgie giggles. "I like Batman more den Superman! He's _soo_ cooler." This prompts Georgie to get out of Harriet's lap and go over to one of the backpacks that is on the table.

"I gots colors and paper, Mr. Caleb. Do you wanna dwaw wif me?"

"Well, of course, I would!" Caleb helps him up onto the bench seat. "What kind of pictures do you have, Georgie?" While the toddler and Caleb are occupied, Hanna turns to Harriet and Eleanor.

"Harriet, I love your shirt. You look so pretty in that color." Harriet smiles as she glances down at her shirt. It's red and white striped, long-sleeve. She has on dark jeans and boots also, and her long, curly strawberry blonde hair is in a waterfall French braid.

While the two talk about everything having to do with fashion, and Caleb and Georgie are occupied with their Superhero coloring pages, Eleanor sits there looking around the park.

She is uncomfortable at the moment. She feels like Hanna and Caleb do not like her as much as they do her siblings. She's nervous, what if she says the wrong thing, and they decide they only want Harriet and Georgie? She's in that awkward stage between being a child and becoming a teenager, so what if they don't want to deal with a child and all the hormones that come with this age?

She wants so badly to speak. To tell Hanna that she enjoys fashion and clothes also, to tell Caleb that, while Georgie thinks Batman is better, she thinks Superman is the best. She wants to say to both Hanna and Caleb that she gets good grades, so they won't have to worry about her being a "trouble" student in school.

Watching her siblings interact with the couple, she wishes that the lump in her throat, the one that is preventing the words from coming out, would go away. She wishes that her hands were not shaky or sweaty. She wants so bad to be able to be a part of the conversations going on.

She wants to say how she is in the eighth grade, because she skipped the sixth grade. And how she is teaching Georgie to read, even though he is only two.

But she can't.

The anxious feeling won't go away. It prevents her from speaking, from telling Hanna and Caleb all these things. From asking Georgie if she can color also, from saying to Harriet and Hanna that she helped Harriet get dressed this morning because the older girl was so nervous for this meeting.

So, instead, Ellie just sits there and watches as her siblings interact with who could possibly be their "new" mom and dad.

* * *

 ** _*1 month later – December 12_** ** _th_** ** _*_**

Four weeks have gone by, and Hanna and Caleb could not be happier. After a home check, they were able to bring home Harriet, Eleanor, and Georgie the Saturday after meeting them in the park on Wednesday.

They have gone out and bought bunkbeds for Harri and Ellie's room, and a toddler bed for Georgie. Caleb, Toby, and Ezra painted the girls' room a purple color. It has a reading corner for Ellie and a big closet for her and Harri's clothes.

The walls are decorated in themes of their favorite Superheroes. They have a bookshelf of books, sketchpads, and pens for Ellie, and a stand for Harriet's guitar that she brought from the Children's Home she was last at.

Georgie's room is dark blue and black. Everything is Batman-themed, the walls, furniture, and bedsheets. He has an art corner, a reading corner, and even a Lego corner.

All of his new aunts and uncles have bought him new markers, crayons, coloring books, paper, pencils, Legos, books, stuffed animals, a play kitchen and food, a play center with pretend tools like hammers and a saw, and every other toddler boy toy.

They gave him a set of markers, crayons, and paper and pencils, along with one box of Legos, and the tool play center. The rest is put back for Christmas, which is only 13 days away.

Right now, the kids are just getting home from school. Georgie stays with Aria and Ezra during the week because Caleb and Hanna have decided to keep him out of school until he is three. Harriet is in the tenth grade and Eleanor in the seventh.

They ride the bus home, and as of right this minute, Georgie is eagerly looking out of the window in the living room, waiting for the bus to pull up.

The bus pulls up to the driveway and Georgie excitedly runs to the door where Caleb opens it for him. The toddler is already dressed in sweatpants, boots, a jacket, and a hat, as Hanna and Caleb have learned he loves to run out the door and meet his sisters in the driveway.

"Sissy Elle, Sissy Harri!" Georgie yells nearly tripping over his feet as he tumbles down the steps and the sidewalk. Harriet holds her arms out and he jumps into them.

"Bubba George!" She yells in the same tone of voice. "It's been too long, how are you, Dear Brother?"

"I good, Sissy Harri!" He reaches out for Ellie and the older girl takes him. "Hi, Sissy Elle!"

"Hello, Dear Brother," Ellie says. "It is so nice to see you again." Hanna and Caleb stand on the porch, watching their _children_ interact.

The three come to the door.

"Hey, girls," Hanna greets. Caleb takes Georgie from Eleanor and lifts him up to his shoulders as they all go inside. "How was school?"

"It was great!" Harri says. "I'm done with all of my tests, and Ellie made an 89 on her math test!"

Hanna smiles at Ellie. The young girl is still shy and really only speaks to her sister and brother, although she does nod or shake her head to communicate with Hanna and Caleb. The two want to help as much as they can, so they are not pushing her to actually speak.

"That's so great, sweetie," Hanna tells her. "Why don't you three go wash up and then come to the kitchen? Caleb and I made cookies that you can decorate."

Georgie and Harri cheer while Eleanor smiles. The three go to wash up and come back to the kitchen and the next few hours are filled with discussions of Christmas break and decorating cookies.

* * *

 ** _*Dilaurentis-Fields Residence*_**

While Hanna and Caleb have spent the last three weeks getting Harriet, Eleanor, and Georgie settled, Alison and Emily have been working with Jon.

It's now been a month since being diagnosed. Jon is still sleeping in their bedroom, but he now sleeps on the mattress. He is doing so well on that part. He hasn't spent a night in their bed since the weekend of the next week after Thanksgiving.

They have been talking to him, explaining that he has something called _Separation Anxiety Disorder_. It does not mean something is wrong with him, just that they have a name for the way he has been feeling and acting the last few months.

They have worked with him, and shared the things they've learned with the girls, and Emily's mom and dad.

Alison and Emily have made up this idea where, each day, when they leave for work, they give Jon a hug, kiss, and tell him goodbye. Then, they hand him a heart made out of pieces of fabric being sewn together.

Whenever Jon is feeling anxious, he will squeeze the heart and remember the promise that Emily and Alison made to make sure they come home every day.

And no matter how much they want to promise, no matter how much they want to say _of course, nothing will happen, we promise_ , they know they cannot do that.

They know that they can't do that because three months ago, Alison almost lost her life, they almost _lost_ her. So they cannot just promise, without consequence, that they will, without a doubt, positively, come back home every day.

So, they use the heart. To remind Jon that they will try their best to come home. And if he misses them, all he needs to do, is squeeze the heart and he will feel ok.

At the end of the day, the heart will go into a jar, with the others. And soon, Jon will be able to just look at that jar, and remember all the times that Alison and Emily came home, just as they promised to try and do, and that everything was ok.

It's not an instant fix, they know. And he still has days where he needs to call them because the heart just doesn't do it. But they are making progress, slowly but surely, and they are happy with that.

Alison and Em hope that over Christmas break, they can get Jon to start sleeping in his bedroom. It has been three months since they have been alone, but even so, Jon is almost 10 years old and it just isn't good for him to continue sleeping in their room.

* * *

 ** _*Thursday*_**

Thursday morning, Emily lets Wesley in while Alison is in the kitchen getting the last minutes things together for Lily and Grace as she speaks to Pam.

"Hey, Wes!" Emily smiles at him. "Come on in, Jon is in the kitchen having breakfast." The two go in there. "Al, you ready, babe?"

Alison nods and goes over to Jon, bending down beside him. "All right, J-bug, Mama and I going to work now. You be good for Mr. Wesley, and work hard, okay? I love you, baby." Emily and Alison have already given him the heart for today.

"I love you, Mommy," Jon tells her. He stands and goes over to Emily, hugging her. "I love you, Mama. Have a good day at work! Bye, Grandma, bye Gracie, bye-bye, Lil!"

Later in the day, when the bad feelings creep up on him, Jon pulls out the heart from his pocket. It's blue and green today. He gives it a squeeze.

"Mommy and Mama promised to try and come home," He whispers to himself. "They are ok, they are not going to be hurt. Good away, you stupid bad feelings. I don't want to be anxious. I don't want to be worried. Mommy and Mama are ok, and they will come home at 3:30, just like every other day."

Wesley comes over then and smiles at him as he bends down beside Jon. "You doing all right?" He asks as he saw Jon get the heart out. "You tell that silly Worry Monster to go away?"

"Yes, Mr. Wesley," Jon nods. "I told it to leave me alone. Mommy and Mama are ok. They are not hurt. The Worry Monster needs to leave me alone."

"That's good, Jon." Wesley and Jon talk for a few more moments before Jon feels ok enough to put the heart back into his pocket, and the two go back to working.

 ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/_** ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/:/_**

 ** _*Thursday, with Hanna & Caleb*_**

On Thursday, Hanna, and Caleb check Ellie and Harri out of school early. They have school officially until Friday, although most kids have not gone since yesterday, because that is when semester tests were finished. Ellie and Harri wanted to go to school just because, so Hanna and Caleb let them.

Besides, it wouldn't be a surprise if they have kept them home. And that surprise is, the girls and their families are going to drive to their hometown of Rosewood, Pennsylvania this year for Christmas, instead of flying.

Alison is still frightened of flying. She still has panic attacks and gets antsy and unnerved just thinking about going on plane, let alone actually _being on_ one.

And it seems this has rubbed off on Jon as well, as he asked if they "really, really _had_ to" fly out to see Grandma and Grandpa.

Emily explained that it might not be the best idea to fly to Rosewood this year. Everyone agreed and was ok with driving. They are a little worried about maybe running into some bad weather, so they are going to not go on any backroads.

All roads are going through states with towns that might have Inns, Bed & Breakfasts, or hotels/motels for them to stay at. They are brining plenty of cash for those scenarios, along with a few gifts for each child, like Legos, books to read, a few outfits to wear, etc.

They have also made up a "Surprise Bag" for each child. This will consist of the kids' favorite things. For example, Harriet and Eleanor both absolutely love to read, as well as doing crossword & word search puzzles.

Harriet has two news books, while Ellie has one, and they each have a Mega-sized book of crossword & word searches their bags. Ellie also has a new sketchbook & pens in her bag.

Georgie, however, was harder to pick for. He loves drawing, but he also _loves_ Legos. He loves looking at storybooks but he also loves doing word searches with Harriet.

So, everyone pitched in and got him a little bit of everything. The smallest box of Legos available, a new Superhero coloring book, some Batman crayons, stickers, a kid version of a word search, and three storybooks.

Hanna and Caleb got Harriet a new Nintendo, and also bought Georgie one. The Nintendos, boxes of Legos, clothes, etc. will be opened in Rosewood, if they end up getting there in time. Otherwise, they'll be open wherever the families get stuck.

 ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/_**

For the Montgomery-Fitzes, Ezra and Aria had an easier time picking out Harper and Finley's Surprise Bags. Harper loves photography. And she loves black and white movies. She loves reading, and doing crossword puzzles with Ezra.

So, her bag consists of three cameras, the old ones that have film and each only about 15 or so picture spaces. She'll love taking pictures of everyone and everything. They also got her _two_ Mega-sized crossword puzzles. She'll probably have half the first one finished, by the time they can leave, if and wherever they get stuck.

Of course, you can't forget that, even though Harper is 12 years old, she is still a kid at heart. She _loves_ coloring, especially with Finn and Georgie. So, a pad of paper, an "older kid" coloring book, markers, colored pencils, and crayons, are also in her bag.

Finley is the average 4-year-old little boy. Superheroes, coloring/drawing, action figures, building blocks, etc. In his bag, once again, are Superman crayons and a Superhero-themed coloring book, a book of letters and numbers that he can trace, a box of Legos, and three action figures.

 ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/_**

Alison and Emily were the easiest out of the bunch. Jon loves his videos games and he loves Legos. He's not really into coloring or drawing, but he does enjoy reading.

Other people may be against how much it seems Ali and Em "encourage" Jon to be on his Nintendo or playing his video games. Jon's bag consists of two new games for his Nintendo, a new video game, two books to read, and a jump rope, silly putty, a stress ball, and two packages of play-doh.

Jon has ADHD-Inattentive Type, as well, which means he has trouble with focusing or paying attention. Movement, with his body or hands, help keeps him calm and get out all the extra energy. That is why he has the jump rope and other items.

Lily and Grace are only 5 months old. They don't get a Surprise Bag, however, they will be in their playpens if the families have to stop anywhere, so they will get teething toys, and a couple of blankets with tabs on the ends, which can be used as a teething object.

Gracie will get a baby doll, and Lily will get two stuffed animals. They will also get a new rattle toys, a stacking toy, to share, and a shape-sorter bucket.

* * *

 ** _*Around 2 p.m., Thursday*_**

"Okay, sounds good. We're loading up here and then we'll meet you over there." Hanna hangs up the phone and looks at Caleb. "Em said she and Ali have just finished packing the twins' diaper bags, Jon is packing up his video games, and then they'll load up and head to the meeting spot."

"Sounds good," Caleb starts a pot of coffee and also a tea kettle of water, so he and Hanna can have coffee to-go, while the kids get travel mugs of hot chocolate.

"Have you told the girls they needed to pack?" He asks. They have decided last minute to tell Harriet and Ellie what their plans are – to drive across the U.S., to Pennsylvania, where they will meet Hanna, and the other girls', parents.

They decided to do this because they did not want Ellie to be caught off guard. The poor girl is still so shy and scared, that if they sprung meeting a whole bunch of new people on her, then it would make her anxiety skyrocket.

"Yes, Ellie is helping Georgie pack and I think Harri is checking to make sure they have all their games and toys." Hanna sighs as she glances out of the kitchen window.

"I just hope we don't run into any bad weather on the way." She says. "I really would like Mom and Dad to meet the kids."

Caleb comes up behind her. He wraps his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Well, at least if we do, then we will all be together," He reassures her. "I checked the weather for the next couple of states and it should be clear. Once we get to a hotel, we can check it for the states will be driving through next, and just continue doing that until we either hit bad weather, or we arrive in Rosewood."

Hanna nods. It sounds like a decent plan. One that, hopefully, will work to their advantage.

The tea kettle goes off and Hanna makes the kids' hot chocolates while Caleb pours coffee into two travel mugs. Then, they call the kids downstairs and start loading up the bags.

Everyone shows up at the meeting spot – a mutual friend's house. Emily and Alison decide to ride with Hanna and Caleb because Georgie wants to ride with Finn and the twins in Spencer and Toby's vehicle while the older kids are with Ezra and Aria.

Emily and Alison are sure to tell Jon how proud they are of him, choosing to go with is cousins in a vehicle that does _not_ have his moms in it.

* * *

 ** _*Approximately 24 hours later – Denver Colorado*_**

With 5 hours taking up food and bathroom breaks, a stop at a park, and some sight-seeing, staying in a hotel overnight (9 hours), and driving the remaining 10 hours, the families arrive in Denver, Colorado exactly 24 hours after leaving their home.

They left at 3 in the afternoon on Thursday and it is now 3 in the afternoon on Friday. They did pretty good. Getting in just over 1,000 miles in one day, especially considering they have a 4-year-old, a toddler, two babies, three teenagers, and a 9-year-old in the cars with them.

Now, they are stopping for just a few hours. Long enough for Georgie, Finn, Lily, and Grace to get in a nap along with a few of the adults. They find a nice Bed & Breakfast, explain that only want two rooms for a few hours, and receive them at a reduced rate.

The owners are a nice older couple, who gush over the kids. They adore Lily and Grace, and are absolutely smitten with Finn and Georgie. They love Harper and Ellie, who are so good with the little kids, and comment on how polite Harriet is and how well-behaved Jon is being.

Emily takes a nap along with Caleb, Aria, and Spencer, while Alison, Toby, Ezra, and Hanna take Harri, Ellie, Harper, and Jon out to sight see a little.

They stop at a McDonald's to let Jon get some of his extra energy out, because even though he has ADHD–Inattentive Type, which means he has trouble focusing, starting and finishing projects, and waiting patiently, he still has extra energy that will turn into impulsive decisions if he cannot run around for an hour or so.

The families eat dinner at 6 p.m. at the Bed & Breakfast, then load up and head out by 7:30. They drive for 12 hours and end up in Jefferson City, Missouri. They stop to get breakfast and for bathroom breaks.

Another three hours and they find a rest stop for the kids, minus Lily and Grace, to burn some energy. They do jump rope, hopscotch, and tag before they get back on the road.

 ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/_**

It is not until they enter Indianapolis, Indiana, that they, or, moreso, Ezra and Aria run into trouble.

Ezra and Aria have the older kids with them still – Jon, Harper, Ellie, and Harriet. Ezra is driving while Aria and the kids jam out to the radio; even Ellie has opened up to singing.

Everything is fine until…

 _BAM!_

The kids all let out a scream. The car swerves and Ezra jerks the steering wheel to the right running into weeds and grass and gravel.

"Fuck!" Ezra lets out once everything is calmed. Caleb and Hanna are three cars behind them and pull over when they see the Montgomery-Fitz' car. Spencer and Toby do a U-turn and come over also, because they were ahead.

Once their hearts no longer feel like they are going jump out of their chests and run away, Ezra climbs out of the car and takes a look.

Their rear-right tire is blown out.

The kids all pile out with Aria.

"Everything ok?" Toby calls out as he comes over. Emily and Ali get out of Hanna and Caleb's car and one goes to make sure Jon is ok while the other goes to sit with the younger kids in the Cavanaugh van.

A tiny voice calls out, "Mommy!" and Aria turns to see Finn coming over.

"Hey, Mister Man. What are you doing?"

"What happened, Mommy?"

"Our car just has a bad tire, is all," Ezra answers instead of Aria. "No problem. Uncle Toby is going to help me change the tire and then we'll be back on the road in no time."

Finley nods, satisfied with that answer. He gets a hug and kiss from his daddy and then Aria takes him back to his car seat.

The older kids are told to get out of the car while the tire is being changed and to go sit in the Rivers' car. Harri and Jon go while Harper decides to go over to her mom and brother instead, and Georgie is let out to go and see his sisters and Hanna and Caleb.

Ellie, in a moment of confidence, goes over to who her siblings have been calling "Uncle" Toby and "Uncle" Ezra.

The young girl taps Toby on the arm. Ezra is getting the spare tire out so Toby turns around and smiles at Ellie.

"Hi, Ellie. Is everything all right?"

Ellie nods. She takes a deep breath and, for the first time to anyone other than her sister and brother, says,

"Can I help with the tire?"

Showing only slight surprise, Toby nods. He isn't sure how much the younger girl would know about changing a tire, but he _does_ know that this is the first time Ellie has spoken to anyone other than her siblings, and he sure as hell is not going to discourage her.

"Absolutely." He tells her getting a smile in return. "Do you know about how to change a tire, or would you like me to show you and walk you through it?"

Ellie sighs gently. "I know that you have to use a jack," She answers. "And that you have to use a drill thingy to put the bolts in."

"Well, you have it just about figured out. How about you go and get the jack and I will help you put it under the car. Once we have the car raised, Mr. Ezra will put the tire on, and you can help drill the bolts on."

Ellie does just that, and with her help, it only takes about ten minutes for the tire to be changed.

Hanna and Caleb watch from their car as their foster daughter interacts with their best friends.

They could not be more proud of her, and they tell her exactly that once everyone is situated again. Ellie smiles and hugs Hanna while Caleb gives her a kiss on the forehead.

Maybe this new family will be The One, she thinks as she sees Caleb pick up Georgie, and "flies" him back to Spencer and Toby's car and into his car seat, the toddler giggling the whole entire time.

 ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/_** ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/_**

The rest of the drive is without incident. They make plenty of stops for food and bathrooms breaks, a little sightseeing, and for Jon, Georgie, and Finn to run off their energy.

They make it to Rosewood with a few days to spare and, of course, the parents are absolutely thrilled to see Harriet, Ellie, and Georgie. Pam and Wayne are already there as they had flown in on Thursday.

This is the first time George will experience a _real_ Christmas with a tree, lights, cookies, songs, presents, snow, and Santa Clause.

Harriet and Eleanor have distant memories of being at home with their parents, 6 and 8 years old, but to see their baby brother who is nearly three and only knows of Santa because his big sisters and cousins told him in the last month, well, this is memory they most definitely will _never_ forget.

* * *

 ** _*Christmas Morning 2001*_**

 _*pitter-patter*_

" _Mommy_! _Daddy_!" The voice of a toddler, one that is finally in a _home_ , with a _family_ call his own.

He gets out of the bed he was sharing with Jon. He runs down the hallway and checks the rooms as he goes. Alison and Emily with Lily and Grace. Harper, Ellie, and Harri. Spencer and Toby in with Hanna and Caleb.

" _Mommy_! _Daddy_! Wake up – it's Chwiss'mass!"

Hanna groans as Georgie's voice registers with her brain.

But it's not only his _voice_.

It's what he is _saying_.

 _Mommy_.

 _Daddy_.

He hasn't called them yet. Just Hanna and Caleb.

" _Mommy_!" She smiles as her _son_ whisper-yells this time. He comes over and taps her arm. She opens her eyes and sees Georgie, all 2 and ¾ of this little boy who is dressed in red footy pajamas and has his stuffed bear in his arms.

" _Mommy_ , it's Chwiss'mass!" He repeats.

"Is it?" Sitting up, Hanna lets Georgie crawl into bed with her and Caleb, who is now waking up also.

" _Daddy_! It's Chwiss'mass!" The toddler reaches for his _father_ and Caleb, in his just-woke-up confused state, takes his _son_ into his hands. Looking at Hanna, he confirms what he just heard by the tears rolling down her face.

"Yes," He turns his attention to George. "Yes, it _is_ Christmas. Let's go downstairs and see what Santa left, shall we?"

They leave Spencer and Toby alone in the other bed. Spencer is 4 months pregnant and the drive over the last few days has worn her out.

Downstairs, of course, Ellie and Harri are up with Jon and Finn. Harper is nowhere to be seen, so they guess she is still asleep.

George is let down when he sees his sisters. He runs over to them. "Mer-we Chwiss'mass, Sissy Elle! Mer-we Chwiss'mass, Sissy Harri!"

The kids look in their stockings but not anything else because Hanna and Caleb want to wait for the other parents and grandparents to get up.

About 9 in the morning, the kids all get to open their presents.

Everyone agrees to let Georgie go first, because he is the youngest one that can open his own gifts.

"Woah! Batman 'jamas!" He holds up a shirt and matching pants. "Oooh and socks! Sissy Elle, look at my socks!"

This goes on for a while until he has opens everything. Toys, clothes, books, art supplies, tracing workbooks, because he started learning how to write while with Ezra and Aria, and every other item a toddler would get for their "first" Christmas.

Once he has finished, Hanna and Caleb tell Ellie, Harriet, and Georgie to open up the presents for them that are similar in size.

"Woah, a new Nintendo! Thanks, Miss Hanna, thank you, Mr. Caleb!" Harriet tells them in complete awe. She really wasn't expecting much. She is 16 now, and usually does not get many "toys" for presents, just clothes and bathroom products.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Hanna tells her, happy to see her smiling and wanting her to know that they don't think she needs to not be a "kid" just because she is 16.

Georgie opens his present next. It is something the toddler never thought _he_ would get, but also something he really wanted.

"Sissy Harri, look!" He shows her his _very own_ Nintendo. "It's a Bee-teno, like yours!"

Harriet and Ellie grin at his mispronunciation.

"You mean a _Nintendo_ , Bubba," Harriet tells him while trying not to laugh.

"Dat's what I said!" Georgie huffs. Harriet just smiles once more and ruffles his hair.

Finally, Ellie opens her own present. She's in shock at what she finds. When Hanna and Caleb had talked to Harriet about whether she thought Georgie was old enough for a Nintendo, and had talked to Ellie about whether she wanted a new one as well, Ellie had wrote them a note.

She did so because she was just too overwhelmed and couldn't actually speak to them. So, in the note, she wrote how she liked her old Nintendo, and she would be happy with simply a new case and maybe a new game.

She pulls everything out. A new carrying case, three new games, extra stylists, a new charger. More than what she asked, but exactly what she really wanted, and was just unable to ask for.

She didn't feel as if she had a right to ask for some many things, seeing as they had been with Hanna and Caleb for only a few weeks.

She smiles at them and leans over to Harriet. Harriet then translate what she has said. "Ellie wants to know she is very thankful. It's all exactly what she wanted."

Caleb smiles gently at the younger girl. "You're welcome, Ellie. I hope we got the right games? If not, we go back and you can pick the one you would like out, okay?" he says this gently, to let her know they are not pressuring her to feel one way or the other, and if she genuinely does not like the games she received, they can go and exchange them.

But Harriet glances at the three game boxes and sees that they are exactly the ones that Ellie had stared longingly at, every time the three siblings passed by a store that had Nintendos and their games on display in a window.

"Oh, no, Mr. Caleb," She smiles at her little sister. "These are _exactly_ the ones Ellie has wanted. You and Ms. Hanna did a perfect job picking them out."

 ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/_** ** _:/:/:/:/:/:/:/_**

After a little bit longer, Hanna and Caleb share a look.

They have a present for their kids, but specifically for Eleanor and Harriet, because they are the ones who can read.

"Harriet, Elle," Hanna says. "Caleb and I have something for you guys and Georgie."

Hearing this, Georgie runs over and plops down into his oldest sister's lap.

Caleb leaves and comes back a moment later with a very flat and about 8-inch long wrapped present.

He hands it to Harriet.

"Oooh, what iz'it, what iz'it?" Georgie asks while bouncing up and down excitedly.

Harriet opens it and slides papers out of a folder. She scans over it with Ellie doing the same from beside her, and then gasps as tears fill her eyes.

 _Adoption papers_.

Georgie looks at them. He is only 2 and ¾ years old, but he knows these are special papers. Because kids who get these papers?

They leave the Children's Home and don't ever come back.

Eleanor jumps up before anyone can move or do anything else and runs over to Caleb, throwing her arms around him, around her _father_. "Does this mean I get to call you ' _Papa'_?"

Caleb feels the breath be knocked out of him as he hears these words, spoken for the first time, to him, by the little girl who, before now, was too overwhelmed to speak in his or Hanna's presence.

"Yes," Finally his voice is working and he has to struggle to keep it from breaking. "Yes, sweetheart, I would love to be your _Papa_."

* * *

 **And here it is! Longest chapter yet.** **What did you think? Jon is making progress with is** ** _Separation Anxiety_** **, Hanna and Caleb are adopting Harriet, Ellie, and Georgie, and Ellie spoke for the first time to Hanna and Caleb!**

 **I am not sure when I will post the Epilogue. It depends on what you guys want. I may do it in a few weeks to a month, or I will wait until 9/11 this year and post it as a "one year later" type thing.**

 **Just let me know what you all want. And please do review! I've been getting once review on each chapter (thank you, btw, to _Boris Yeltsin_ for reviewing each chapter). But I would love to know what everyone else is thinking! :)**


	10. Epilogue

**_Epilogue_**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters. This includes the Lily and Grace. I do own Jonathan Dilaurentis-Fields and all other children.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: T**

 **Notes: Last chapter. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, favorited, and waited patiently. I really do appreciate it!**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 ** _2 months – February 2002_**

* * *

 ** _*Rivers Residence*_**

 ** _"The Birthday"_**

"It's my birfday! It's my birfday! Iiiiiiittttssssss myyy biiiiirrrrfff….daaaaaaay!"

3-year-old George Michael soon-to-be Rivers dances around his living room while his _Mommy_ and older sisters hang decorations – Batman themed, of course – and his _daddy_ uses a special air tank to blow up blue and black balloons.

Ellie giggles as her brother runs around in his pullup and nothing else.

This is as close to his "Birthday Suit" as Hanna is allowing him to be, and he is taking advantage of every moment of it.

"It is your birthday, Georgie," Harri says. "How old are you?"

"I'm free years old, Sissy Harri! I am a big boy. _Mommy_ , do I getta go school wif Finn now?" He asks because after learning how to write his name, and tracing letters and shapes and numbers while with Ezra and Aria during the week, the couple offered to homeschool Georgie, instead of Hanna and Caleb sending him to preschool in August.

"Yes, you do. _Daddy_ and I have spoken with each other, and we decided that you can go to school with Finn. You will even get to learn about the same things he does."

Because Finn is not turning five until August, the two boys would only have about a 6-month difference between their knowledge, maybe less, since Georgie is learning things so quickly.

"Yay! I getta go school wif Finn!" Georgie runs around, cheering. He then asks to call Aria and Ezra. They let him speak to Finn and soon have two young boys squealing and cheering and yelling, "We getta go to school together!"

Later, after a snack and when Hanna and Caleb begin doing the outside decorations for their backyard, Georgie runs over them.

" _Daddy_ , _Mommy_! _Guess what day it is_!"

Hanna and Caleb play along.

"Is it Tuesday?" Caleb asks knowing this will confuse the toddler because it is Tuesday but that is not the answer the little boy was wanting.

"No!" George says back immediately before pausing. "Um…wait, what?" and then " _Daddy_! Dat isn't the right answer!"

Caleb chuckles as he grabs him up and tickles him.

"Happy Birthday, George Michael Almost Rivers," Caleb says hugging him and making him giggle with his new name.

* * *

 ** _3 months later – May 2002_**

* * *

 ** _*Cavanaugh Residence*_**

 ** _"The Birth*_**

It's the middle of the night when it happens. Spencer is up in the bathroom because the baby just won't settle down. She does her business and begins to pull up her pajama pants when a gush of water stops her.

It takes several seconds for her sleep-riddled brain to figure it out.

But when she does, she jumps up and runs as quickly as she can to their bedroom.

"Tobias Phillip Cavanaugh, get your ass up and take me to the hospital!" Spencer yells at her husband as she feels the contractions begin.

Toby, bless him, jumps out of bed, and proceeds to fall face first onto the floor.

After a couple of seconds, – in which Spencer bursts out laughing despite the seriousness of the situation, – Toby jumps back up.

"Okay, okay, I'm up. You're up. We're up. Oh, god it's time. Everything is just fine! Don't yell at me!"

Raising an eyebrow, Spencer simply looks at the crazy man she married.

This calms him down slightly and he gets his head in the game.

He and Spencer load up in the car and head to the hospital.

 ** _*16 hours later*_**

After an intense labor, Spencer and Toby are finally finished. The outcome?

Twins.

A boy and a girl.

"Look at what we made," The new mommy whispers.

Toby, himself, is enamored with his baby daughter.

"Hi, sweetheart," He whispers. "I am your Daddy. And I love you so, so much."

The girls and guys and kids show up. And Spencer and Toby reveal the name, or names.

"This is Jacob," Toby motions to the baby boy in Spencer's arms. "Jacob Matthew Cavanaugh."

"And that is Mackenzie," Spencer says, picking one of the girl names she and Toby had chosen before finding out the gender would have been a boy. "Mackenzie Marion Cavanaugh."

And Toby looks at her at that name. His eyes feel with tears and he wonders how he got so damned lucky to have married to this woman.

"Thank you," He chokes out.

Jacob and Mackenzie are the perfect addition to the Cavanagh, Montgomery-Fitz, Dilaurentis-Fields, and Rivers families.

* * *

 ** _1 month later – June 2002_**

* * *

 ** _"The Adoption"_**

Three months later, and six months after officially filing the papers, Hanna and Caleb are in court, waiting for the Judge to sign their papers, which will officially make their children Harriet Madeleine Rivers, Eleanor Rosalie Rivers, and George Michael no-longer-almost-but- _finally_ Rivers.

"All rise for Judge Michaels," The Judge enters and sits down, motioning for everyone else to do the same.

Everybody is here. The parents, kids, Harriet and Ellie's friends from school, Georgie's friends from his playdates, Jessica and Kenneth Dilaurentis, Pam and Wayne Fields, even Spencer's mom, dad, and sister are here.

Ashley and Tom Marin sit right behind where Hanna and Caleb are gathered with their kids.

The Judge goes through all the notes and necessary documents. He listens to Harriet and Eleanor's speeches about why they think Hanna and Caleb should be able to adopt them and their brother, and a few others who have something to as well.

Then, the moment they have all been waiting for…

"I, Judge Michaels, hereby grant legal guardianship of Harriet, Eleanor, and George Smith to Caleb and Hanna Rivers." He signs the papers and hands them over.

There isn't a dry eye in the room.

"Did he do it, Mommy?" Finley asks. "Are Uncle Caleb and Auntie Hanna really Harri and Ellie and Georgie's mommy and daddy now?"

"Yes, baby," Aria says as Ezra picks Harper up and spins the preteen around. "Yes, they are officially Harri and Ellie and Georgie's mommy and daddy."

"Yay! I'm so happy for them! Please I go give them a hug, Mommy?" After getting permission, Finley runs as fast as his legs will carry him over to his aunt, uncle, and official cousins.

"Uncle Caleb, Auntie Hanna!" Hanna catches him and lifts him. She gets a hug from both him and Georgie, who she is also holding.

Caleb has Ellie in his arms. Even at 13 years old, he is holding her and cherishing this moment, and promises to do everything in his power to make sure her and her sister and brother are never alone ever again.

"I love you, Papa," Ellie whispers to him, hugging tight around his neck.

"I love you, too, Babygirl," He returns softly, meeting his wife's eyes, giving her a smile, and knowing she is thinking the same thing she is.

 _We're finally a family_.

* * *

 ** _2 weeks later_**

* * *

 ** _*Montgomery-Fitz Residence*_**

 ** _"The Reveal"_**

At noon on Wednesday, Aria and Ezra wait for Harper, now 13 years old, and Finley to get home from the sleepover and playdate they were both at.

They have a present for both kids.

Since Ezra has issues for fertility, he and Aria have used IVF treatments to have both Harper and Finley. At first, they were devastated, and still are sometimes. It took several years for Ezra to come to terms with the fact that, although he is married to Aria, and raises Finley and Harper, they are not biologically his.

It almost ruined their marriage, and it left him feeling down, sorry for himself, and it took Caleb and Toby both to practically kick him in the ass for him to realize that he has an amazing wife, who still loved him, even after finding out about _the thing which they do not speak of_.

So now, with IVF, they are able to get pregnant and have a family.

Harper and Finley do not know of this, although at some point, Aria and Ezra both know they will have to tell them. For now though, they are just content to have happy and healthy children.

They decided to do one more round, because Harper wants a sister, and Aria and Ezra would really like to have a baby in the house again. Jake and Kenzie are just too precious and they both agree they _miss it_.

So, they did so. But they only let a couple people know. Spencer, of course, because hello, Team Sparia, and Caleb, as he is close with Ezra.

Today they went and confirmed their pregnancy and got a big surprise.

They know that Alison and Emily had twins, most likely, because Ali's mom is a twin.

And they know that Spencer and Toby also had twins, because Spencer is a twin – well, a surviving twin, her sister didn't make it past infancy. She died of SIDs, unfortunately.

And they _know_ that IVF treatments are famous for giving a mother a multiple pregnancy.

But, they, most certainly, were not expecting to be told…

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery-Fitz, it looks like you are having _three_ babies!"

All girls, at least two being identical, maybe the third one, as well.

The first thing out of Ezra's mouth was…

"Well, Harper _did_ want a sister."

Now, they are home, waiting for their children, wondering how the hell they have gone from a family of four, to have a family of _seven_.

They hear a door open, and Harper and Finley come running in.

"Mama, Daddy!" They both yell and Ezra does his daily routine of sweeping one child each into arms and spinning them around.

They thank god Harper is not the "normal" surly, grumpy, moody 13-year-old. At least, not yet.

"Sit down, you two," Ezra says. "Mama and I have something we would like to show you something."

Aria goes out and comes back in with a box.

She hands it to Harper.

"Oh, what's in the box, Mommy?" Finley asks giggling.

"Open it up with sissy, and see."

They do so. And begin pulling out different items:

A pacifier – 3, a pink one with a flower, a solid purple one, and a one with a ladybug.

A blanket – 3, one with a bear, pink and fuzzy, a purple one with frogs, and a pink and grey striped one.

A baby bottle – also 3, solid pink, solid purple, and one with flowers, a frog, and a ladybug.

A onesie – identical ones with "Thing 1," "Thing 2," and "Thing 3" on them.

"Woah, look at all da babies stuffs," Finley gasps. "Is these for Kenzie, Mommy?" Because Kenzie is a girl, and a baby, and the only one who would need all this stuff.

Right?

Harper gets it first.

And it is confirmed when she pulls out a strip of ultrasound photos, which are labeled "baby A," "baby B," and "baby C."

"Oh, my God, you're having triplets?!" She pauses, looks at all the _girl_ baby items, and then, "And they're _all_ girls?!"

Aria breathes a sigh of relief at her daughter's happiness and looks at Finley, who is not too sure of what to think.

"You ok, Mister Man?" She asks.

"Yeah," He pauses. "But three is _a_ _lot_ of girls. I wanted a brother!"

Ezra comes over and sits down, letting the 4-year-old climb into his lap. "I'm sorry, Bud. You know, I kinda of wanted a boy, too. That way it wouldn't be more girls, like Mommy and Sissy, than us guys."

"Yeah, _exactly_!" The younger boy throws his hands up, causing his sister and mom to laugh.

He really wanted a little brother, it's so fun to play with Georgie and Jon, and soon, Jacob, but he really wanted a _brother_.

At least, he thought so.

That is, before Harper leans over and says,

"You know, if you had a brother, then you would have to share your toys, and your Legos, and your trucks."

And that is when 4-year-old Finley Ezra Montgomery-Fitz realized he did _not_ actually want a brother. Because as sweet and kind and polite and fun and loving as he is, there is one thing Finley does _not_ like.

And that is, sharing his toys.

I mean, with Georgie its ok, because Georgie doesn't _live_ here. But a brother? And having to do it 24/7?

No thank you.

Ezra and Aria sigh as they realize they should probably begin working with him on that. He needs to learn to share, with more than just his cousin who is a year younger, and soon, his baby cousin, Jacob.

But for now, they just begin planning how they are going to reveal their _triplet girl_ pregnancy to everyone else.

* * *

 ** _3 months later – September 11_** ** _th_** ** _, 2002 aka 1 year later_**

* * *

 ** _*Dilaurentis-Fields Residence*_**

 ** _"The Anniversary"_**

It has been exactly 12 months since Alison was on Flight 175 and almost lost her life.

The Butterfly Effect some say.

It's what they are calling Ali getting off the plane because she left her wallet in the bathroom.

Had Alison _not_ left it in there? Well, she would have had no reason whatsoever to get off that airplane.

She would have joined everyone else, in realizing their life was over, in calling 911 or her loved ones. She would have had to call Emily and her babies, and say _goodbye_.

So yes, leaving her wallet in the bathroom was a stupid mistake. But it was that stupid mistake that saved her life.

Had it not happened, these past 12 months would have been _very_ different, and this would be a very different anniversary all together.

12 months and Jon is now sleeping in his own room. He has been doing so for about 4 months now.

Alison and Emily are so proud of him. They tuck him in, read him a story, tell him they are proud of him, _their big boy_ , and then turn his nightlight on, close his door, and let him fall asleep.

He is even in fifth grade this year! He finished out fourth grade with Wesley in May, and then was enrolled back in school last month.

Wesley is proud of him, as well. Although he will miss looking after Jon during the week, the young boy who has become like a brother to him, he is still happy for Jon. He is happy that the boy is no longer having panic attacks at school, and having to come home.

He praises Jon, in being able to be in a different room than his mothers, in not needing a _special heart_ every day, just a few times every couple of months.

Alison and Emily have kept in contact with Wesley, and made sure he knows how much they appreciate him. He is now a apart of the families, and like everyone's cooler, older brother.

"All right, J-bug," Alison calls out as she comes down the stairs with Grace. She and Lily are now 15 months old, what a difference a year makes, and they are into everything. They can talk now, are walking _everywhere_ , and are learning a new skill, it seems, every week.

They are in Daycare. Which is where they are headed right now.

"Do you have your lunch, homework, and backpack?" Alison asks her son, because he sometimes _thinks_ he has something only to get to school and realize _I left it on the kitchen table_.

The perks of having ADHD – not.

"Yes, Mama," He answers. "Mommy went through the list with me. I have my homework folder, my lunch box, my Show & Tell item, and everything is in my backpack."

"Ok, Bud. Take Gracie and you two go get in the car, alright?"

"Okay! Come on, Grace-Grace; let's go get in the car."

"Car!" Gracie cheers, reaching for her big brother. "Go bye-bye, Bubba!"

"Yeah, we're gonna go bye-bye. In the car, it goes vroom-vroom."

"'Oom-'oom!" The toddler parrots as she and Jon walk out of the door.

Emily comes up behind Alison with Lily in her arms. She sets Lily down and the little blonde toddles over to a toy.

"You ready, Babe?" She asks, knowing Alison will know she doesn't just mean "ready to go" but for what today is going to be like, with schools and workplaces and the TVs talking about the 1-year anniversary of _that_ day.

Taking a deep breath, Ali chooses to think about what she _does_ have. A wife, three beautiful children, a ton of nieces and nephews, a best friend who is having _triplets_.

She is here.

She thanks god every single day for her lapse in judgment and a lost wallet.

She thanks god that she is here, with her friends, her families, her _babies_. When so many other people are grieving the one-year anniversary of their loved ones.

And she nods.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

* * *

 **And that is it! 10 chapters. It's taken me longer than I wanted but that is ok. A lot of things happened here. Georgie turned 3, Spencer and Toby had their babies – twins! –, Hanna and Caleb officially became the parents of Harriet, Eleanor, and George.**

 **And Ezria is having triplets! All three girls. I decided that last minute because I wanted them to have another baby. *shrugs***

 **Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought. And once again, thank you to everyone who has waited patiently, reviewed, followed, and favorited. This has been a fun journey. :)**


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